By Abigail W. Adams
Firefighters battle a structure fire on Mills Road in Whitefield Tuesday, Jan. 27. The single-family home was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, according to Whitefield Fire Chief Scott Higgins. (D. Lobkowicz photo) |
The structure fire at 452 Mills Rd. in Whitefield that required the response of seven area fire departments on Tuesday, Jan. 27 was caused by a juvenile burning a dog leash, the State Fire Marshal’s Office determined.
Sgt. Ken Grimes, with the fire marshal’s office, said that the cause of the fire was ruled to be a human element. A juvenile in the home was burning rope from a dog leash, Grimes said. The rope was not fully extinguished when the juvenile left the room, Grimes said. Items in the room caught fire contributing to the fire’s growth.
“I don’t think he was intentionally trying to destroy the home,” Grimes said.
The house, owned by Ted Rideout, was fully engulfed in flames by the time Whitefield firefighters arrived at the scene, approximately 10 minutes after they were paged, Whitefield Fire Chief Scott Higgins said. Alna, Jefferson, Windsor, Somerville, Chelsea, and Pittston fire departments also responded to the structure fire.
The Whitefield Fire Department was paged to the scene at approximately 4:05 pm, in the middle of the Nor’easter that dropped an estimated 15 to 30 inches of snow on Lincoln County.
Eleven individuals lived in the house, Grimes said. Ten were home at the time of the fire. All individuals were safely evacuated from the house in the early stages of the fire, EMA director Tod Hartung said.
The Red Cross was notified and is expected to provide emergency housing and other relief for the victims, Hartung said.
One individual sustained minor burns to the hands but refused medical treatment, Higgins said.
Three dogs and two cats perished inside the building, Grimes said.
Area firefighters remained at the scene battling the fire until approximately midnight. The structure collapsed in on itself and continued to smolder throughout the night, Higgins said.
The Whitefield Fire Department was back at the scene Wednesday morning awaiting an excavator to tear down what remained of the building.
A nearby house and camper were spared from any damage due to the efforts of the responding fire departments, Higgins said.
“Mutual aid is such a valuable resource for these rural communities,” Higgins said. “Everyone steps up to the plate when the call goes out. We couldn’t do it without them.”
A gofundme account was created Tuesday evening, reportedly by a niece of one of the victims.
