Ascutney
When he answered, the woman told him her son had started a fire behind the motel.
“I told her, ‘So go put it out,’ ” the 54-year-old Tyler said. “I didn’t think much of it.”
He went to his bathroom window and peeked outside to the rear of the building; when he didn’t see smoke, he proceeded with his plan to rest.
Seconds later, Tyler said, a volunteer firefighter banged on his door and told him the roof above his unit was on fire.
“He said, ‘You have got to get out of here,’ ” recalled Tyler, who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and relies on a steady stream of oxygen. “So I stepped out. I couldn’t breathe … I was overwhelmed.”
A fast-moving fire ripped through the 19-unit motel around 11:30 a.m. Monday after a juvenile boy lit some brush on fire with a cigarette lighter at the back of the building.
All that remains of the motel is a pile of rubble lining the perimeter of the building’s foundation. Dozens of mattresses, burnt and yellowing, could be seen from the roadway. Charred wood and twisted metal objects were strewn throughout the mess.
For the past month, Tyler has rented a room at the Yankee Village Motel, a situation he classified as temporary, while he searched for affordable long-term housing. Everything he owned, and everything owned by the other families residing at the motel, went up in smoke on Monday.
Volunteer Fire Department Chief Darrin Spaulding said his department cleared the scene and has wrapped its probe into the fire’s cause.
“Our investigation is over because the young juvenile had admitted to the fire,” Spaulding said.
He since has turned over information to Weathersfield Police Chief William Daniels. Daniels didn’t return requests for comment on Tuesday.
Spaulding said he wasn’t sure if charges would be forthcoming.
Vermont Division of Fire Safety Investigator David Sutton also has launched an investigation into the fire. Messages left for Sutton weren’t returned.
Motel owner Mike Patel said he and his wife, Ragi, had completed extensive renovations to the motel, which they have owned for 10 years.
Patel on Tuesday said he and his family were taking the loss hard.
“It is sad,” Patel said. “We have a good memory and history with that place.”
His two children, ages 9 and 4, were raised at the motel, he said, which was insured.
Four rooms were occupied at the time of the fire, Patel said. Everyone inside at the time escaped safely, though.
Red Cross of New Hampshire and Vermont’s Chief Communications Officer Lloyd Ziel said his agency provided resources including food, clothing and temporary lodging to just one person who was affected by the fire. All of the others declined services, Ziel said.
The individual the Red Cross assisted was Tyler, whom the agency put up at the Shady Lawn Motel in Hartford. Tyler said he had planned to stay at a different Upper Valley motel, but that motel’s management wouldn’t allow dogs.
He said his puppy Harmony has been his saving grace over the past 24 hours. He wasn’t about to leave her behind.
“She lost everything too,” Tyler said of his 3-pound Australian Shepherd mix. “Her toys, food, leashes, bed …
“I didn’t think to grab anything, except for me, myself, my dog and my oxygen. You don’t think of stuff like that when the roof above your head is on fire.”
Tyler is unable to work and relies mostly on his disability check to get by.
He said he has worked at various businesses across the Upper Valley in his lifetime. He developed COPD in part from working with chemicals throughout his life, and from smoking cigarettes for 38 years, he said.
Now, Tyler is working on picking up the pieces. He said two of his daughters were planning on helping him in the short term, and one would be providing a place for him to stay.
In the meantime, Tyler, who grew up in Springfield, Vt., and is a longtime Upper Valley resident, said he is focused on getting his medications replaced, all of which were burned in the fire.
He also lost all items of sentimental value, including family photos. His brother’s ashes also were inside his room.
“Everything is gone,” Tyler said, wiping a wet eye with his finger.
Monday’s fire brought back unpleasant memories for Tyler. When he was a young child, he said, his family lost everything in a house fire.
Despite Monday’s devastating events, Tyler said he is thankful he and Harmony escaped unharmed.
“I’ve got my dog, I’ve got my life, and I’ve got my family,” Tyler said. “Most of the other stuff can be replaced.”
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.