CLAREMONT — A fast-moving fire destroyed a home in rural Claremont on Thursday afternoon, displacing the 67-year-old homeowner who was at work at the time it started.
Claremont Fire Chief Bryan Burr said no one was injured in the midday fire at 21 Holly Hill Road, located near the Claremont-Cornish border on the north side of the city.
Crews from six departments worked for hours to extinguish the first-alarm fire, which kept rekindling in part because of 35 to 40 mph wind gusts in the area.
Smoke spiraled into the air as firefighters attacked the flames from both inside and outside the home; they at times climbed onto the roof and poked holes in it to vent the structure.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is believed to have started in the back of the half-story home, near a chimney. The rear portion of the house was reduced to rubble, and a large cordwood pile nearby continued to burn throughout the afternoon.
The home’s older-style construction also complicated firefighting efforts, as the fire was “deeply seated” in the attic and eaves, Burr said.
The fire got a “head start,” he said, as it burned until a passing neighbor saw flames and called 911.
Firefighters used tanker trucks and a nearby brook to pump water to the home.
Crews from Claremont, Newport, Cornish, Meriden, Charlestown and Ascutney responded. A group of Kimball Union Academy students who are in an explorer program with the Meriden Fire Department also helped battle the fire, which started around 12:30 p.m. and was under control by about 3 p.m.
Burr deemed the home, which is owned by Shannon Dube, a total loss.
Dube arrived at her house around the time the fire was called under control. She cried and hugged family and friends as she surveyed the destruction.
“Everything was fine when I left at 7 a.m.,” she said.
There wasn’t a woodstove going, she said, adding that she isn’t sure what could have started the fire.
Dube, who works for Listen in Lebanon and has lived in the home for about 18 years, said she has insurance.
But she had a number of belongings inside that can’t be replaced, she said, including her husband’s ashes.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.