Walworth County staff says Darien house fire left owner homeless; county reports camper death in Walworth

Walworth County zoning and sanitation staff told the county zoning committee on Feb. 20 that a long-running enforcement case in the town of Darien has been paused after the property owner’s house was destroyed in a fire, and that county staff recently responded to a separate incident in the town of Walworth in which a person living in a camper froze to death.

The county’s enforcement staff opened by describing the Darien case, saying the property owner’s main house was a “total loss” following a fire and that the owner was not injured. The staff member said the owner had a pending court request for additional time; the judge denied that request, then the county asked the court to grant more time because of the fire. “The judge gave us till, I believe, early April to reconvene on that,” the staff member said. The staff member added that the county had offered services through human services protective services. As of the meeting, enforcement activity on that case was on hold pending the court’s reconsideration and any further filings.

Committee members were told the town has issued a raze order for the burned structure. County staff noted social media attention and said the damaged building “was demolished entirely” (staff later clarified the town issued the raze order and enforcement matters at the parcel relate to other property issues).

Separately, the same enforcement staff described a recent cold-weather fatality tied to camping in the town of Walworth. The county said it received a complaint and that the Town of Walworth fire chief alerted staff to a person living in a camper on private property. The property owner, described in the meeting as an elderly woman, did not realize the occupant was living there. “A 40-year-old man or 47-year-old man passed away in the camper, because he froze to death,” the staff member said. “That’s… a tragedy.” The county said it made contact with the property owner but arrived too late to assist the camper.

The staff member told the committee this was the second death in a camper the county has recorded during the official’s tenure and described multiple other winter camping incidents that posed safety risks, including propane-related hazards. The remarks were presented as background to explain why county staff enforce camping and camper-storage rules in winter months.

No formal action was taken on either matter at the meeting; the Darien enforcement case will return to the court and the county will continue its ongoing enforcement procedures. Committee members did not request additional votes but were given the opportunity to ask questions.

The update came during the zoning, sanitation and land conservation enforcement portion of the Feb. 20 meeting.