Quechee
Immediately after Crystal Preston noticed the wall behind the wood stove was on fire, her two sons, ages 14 and 16, jumped into action. One of the boys began throwing buckets of water on the flames, while the other ran to a neighbor’s house to get a fire extinguisher.
When the fire department arrived, the flames were largely extinguished, Hartford Fire Chief Scott Cooney said on Tuesday.
Despite the residents’ efforts, the home suffered significant damage in the 7 p.m. fire. The chimney and at least a portion of the wall will need to be replaced.
Preston and her boyfriend, Richard Bowen, who owns the home, now are trying to figure out their next steps; They didn’t have insurance. They are currently living in the home, but they don’t have another heating system.
It was 48 degrees inside the home on Monday night, Preston said while standing outside on Tuesday.
Money is tight, she said. She’s on disability and Bowen is a disabled veteran, she said.
“I am thankful we are OK, but this is pretty bad,” Preston said as she surveyed the damage, which was largely contained to the back portion of the home. “I don’t know how we will afford to fix this.”
Her voice breaking, she called the event “devastating” for the family.
“This is our home,” she said.
While all standing in the yard barefoot, her older son, Francis, swooped in for a hug, while her younger son, Zachariah, chimed in.
“It’s not as bad as it could have been … (But) it was pretty cold last night,” he said.
Both boys attend Hartford High School.
Bowen met with Cooney on Tuesday afternoon, and Cooney said he is working to connect the family with a veterans group and other social services that may be able to assist.
The Red Cross arrived on scene Monday night and provided the family with some money to help in the immediate aftermath.
According to Hartford assessing records, the 575-square-foot home is assessed at $5,000. The 44 acres it sits on are assessed at $126,400. The structure was built in 1920. Bowen has lived there his whole life.
Cooney said the fire started when heat from the stove pipe ignited the wall behind it.
The heating system wasn’t built with proper clearances and wasn’t up to code, he said. In addition, the conditions of the wood stove and the chimney were “poor.”
“He had it there for many years,” Cooney said. “He was lucky (nothing happened sooner).”
The fire department deemed the chimney “condemned” and told Bowen it couldn’t be used due to its condition.
The home didn’t have working smoke detectors.
A damage estimate wasn’t available on Tuesday.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.