HARTLAND — A fire that destroyed a Hartland home and killed a couple’s six dogs on Saturday is believed to have started in the basement and is not considered suspicious, fire investigators said on Monday.
“Due to the extensive damage and almost complete consumption of the home, the cause of the fire remains undetermined,” Vermont State Police Sgt. Todd Ambroz wrote in a news release on Monday.
In a separate email, Ambroz said the blaze was so destructive that there are no “fire patterns, burn patterns or material items” left for police to investigate, and that the cause will likely stay undetermined unless someone provides more information. But, he said, the fire is “not considered suspicious.”
“The origin, based on the witness who saw the fire and called 911, is in the basement,” the release said. No injuries were reported.
The 2½-story wood frame house is owned by Stephen and Marlene Murray, both age 63, who were not at home when the fire broke out Saturday.
“My husband and I are devastated. The loss of our dogs … they were our family. They were the loves of our lives,” Marlene Murray wrote in an email Monday.
They included three German shepherds — Max and Boone, whom Murray called “our old men … who entertained anyone they ever met,” and Belle, who was skittish but “becoming a dog who trusted and loved” — plus three Great Dane/coonhound mixes named Jack, Bloo Worm and Ivy who were “full of life and funny antics.”
The dogs were rescued and “loved by people from all corners of the world,” she said.
Her family has recently experienced other traumatic events, Marlene Murray said, and “this was really more than we can swallow.”
“We are beginning the process of figuring out what is next,” she said.
The “bright moment,” she said, was driving up to the remains of the home and seeing a bright star atop their Christmas tree.
“Our 1½-year-old granddaughter reminded us recently that any Christmas tree worth its salt needed a star,” she said. “The night before the fire we bought one. Operated by battery it still shines tonight. Our symbol of everlasting hope and family.”
The fire was called in around 4:45 p.m. Saturday by a neighbor who saw flames coming from the basement of the home on 17 Independent Drive, a private drive off of Quechee Road, according to police.
The Hartland Volunteer Fire Department along with four other departments got the blaze under control by 9 p.m. and called the state Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit in to help with determining the cause.
During the course of the fire, the two-story house burned “almost completely” and the top two floors as well as the roof collapsed into the basement, the release said.
Vermont State Police asked anyone with information about the fire to contact Detective Sgt. Todd Ambroz at 802-878-7111 or todd.ambroz@vermont.gov
Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.