Claremont
Homeowner Toni Gardner, who was in West Lebanon shopping at the time of the fire, arrived with her daughter, Kenia, and family friend, Tiffany Bond, as firefighters were hosing down hot spots at the rear of the home, where the most severe damage occurred.
Upon seeing the destruction and learning the pets had perished, Gardner, her daughter and Pond began crying loudly. Gardner bent over at one point with her head in her hands.
According to Pond, four rabbits, one chinchilla, a cockatoo, two hamsters and several fish died. No people were harmed in the fire.
At the scene, Fire Chief Bryan Burr said firefighters were not aware of animals in the house when they arrived. In a news release, he said that an off-duty fire captain who was in the area when the call came in confirmed with the dispatcher “the home was well involved in fire.”
“First arriving crews faced extensive fire conditions at the rear portion,” Burr said.
The fire was called in at 10:15 a.m. and declared under control 20 minutes later. Burr said the department’s fire investigator determined the cause was electrical.
On Tuesday evening, Gardner, who was staying with her daughters at a motel provided by the Red Cross, said when she got up in the morning the circuit breaker had shut off and she noticed an odor in the bedroom, which is where the fire started.
Her friend, Mike Grace, who works with her at the Salvation Army in West Lebanon, came down to take a look at it. Grace said at the scene he was outside when he noticed the flames and smoke and attempted to get inside.
“There was just too much heat and smoke,” said Grace, with a small part of his hair visibly singed from the heat.
Burr said in the release the home sustained extensive fire damage in the rear and “extensive smoke and heat damage to portions not directly affected by the flames.”
The home was a total loss and not insured.
Gardner, who had her dog Delilah with her, said the coverage had lapsed and she was preparing to renew it after a recent trip to Florida.
“And now this has happened,” she said.
Soon after Gardner and Pond arrived at the scene, Pond approached Burr and demanded to know why no one had gone in to save the pets. Pond, crying as she spoke loudly to Burr on the street, insisted something could have been done. She said the animals were in cages in the kitchen, which was in the center of the house.
Burr listened, but did not respond. After Pond went back to Gardner, Burr said that was the first he heard of animals in the house and said again that there were heavy flames when firefighters arrived. Mutual aid was provided by Ascutney,
Cornish and Newport assisted at the scene.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com
