Torrington, CT, Battalion Chief Charged with Setting Fire to Clear Brush

Oct. 17—TORRINGTON — A Torrington Fire Department battalion chief was arrested this month after the state police said he deliberately set a fire on vacant land he owns in Barkhamsted during a high-risk burn day and despite repeated warnings from local officials, documents show.

The fire, which police say Robert J. Shopey III lit to clear land to make room for an excavator, spread from a camp robertfire to burn brush in April. Embers picked up by the wind spread about 15 feet away and started another fire, state police said.

Shopey told state police he attempted to put out the fire, but it grew too fast for him to control. He then called 911.

The fire took six hours to extinguish with the help of mutual aid from area fire departments, according to the arrest warrant. The approximate size of the fire was 1 to 3 acres, according to state police.

Shopey, 38, of New Hartford, is facing a felony charge of reckless burning, as well as misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment, second-degree breach of peace and open fire kindling without a permit. He is free on $25,000 bond.

Shopey appeared in court Tuesday to apply for accelerated rehabilitation, a diversionary program for first-time offenders that could lead to a dismissal.

Shopey remains on the job and was the shift commander during a fire on Marvin Street on Wednesday. Fire Chief David Tripp did not return calls for comment.

Shopey's attorney, Robert Salerno, said his client was told by the fire marshal in Barkhamsted that he could do burns in a 5-foot-by-5-foot pit.

"It just can't be bigger than that. He does the 5-by-5s," Salerno said.

Salerno noted Shopey called 911 and helped fight the fire.

"There's more to the story than just, 'Oh, some guy that just doesn't want to pay attention to the rule.' It's a guy who did pay attention and things got out of hand. There's no question about that. He's willing to work with everybody to resolve the case," Salerno said.

State police initially issued a warning to Shopey at the scene, but Barkhamsted First Selectman Nicholas Lukiwski requested state police to conduct further investigations after informing them Shopey had requested burn permits from the town and was denied.

Town officials notified state police that Shopey first requested a burn permit in December 2024 after he purchased the 20-acre property that year for $182,000, according to state police and town assessment records.

Shopey was denied because state law and the town require a house and well to be on the property for a burn permit to be issued. He asked two more times and was denied, and town officials said "they started burning illegally in January. Again they were verbally asked to stop," according to the warrant.

A neighbor also asked Shopey to stop burning in April.

No warnings are ever issued in writing for burning, town officials told state police.

On April 18, Barkhamsted firefighters responded to Dew Road in town after being called to a brush fire. The first firefighter on scene immediately called for mutual aid after seeing a large amount of white smoke and then the fire moving rapidly, working up the hill into a heavily wooded area.

That high-burn day was very dry with strong winds that made the fire more dangerous, according to statements from Barkhamsted fire officials to the state police.

"Robert put his hand on his head and started shaking his head back and forth, knowing that he screwed up," Pleasant Valley Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Weinman told state police, according to the warrant.

Firefighters from New Hartford, West Hartland and other fire companies in Barkhamsted responded to the fire.

Weinman told state police they could see where the fire started and embers "jumped from the anchor point into the woods."

Pleasant Valley Chief James Shanley told state police the fire could have threatened nearby homes or Peoples State Forest had the fire department not arrived when it did.

This isn't the first time the fire department responded to Shopey's property, the state police said. In February or March, Pleasant Valley Fire Department responded to his property because he was burning brush during a high-burn day, fire officials told state police.

Following the April 18 fire, a state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection fire control officer notified state police of its investigation, calling the blaze "indeed a significant fire" that "placed homes and structures nearby at risk."

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