HARTFORD VILLAGE — Investigators are looking into the cause of a fire that burned through a historic former Grange building on Maple Street early Tuesday morning.
No one was injured in the blaze, which was called in around 3:30 a.m. at the abandoned building on 1498 Maple St., the Hartford Fire Department said in a news release. The Hartford Village building was once home to the Cascadnac Grange and is now owned by Marc Wood, according to property records.
Crews from Hartford, Lebanon, Hanover and Norwich found the structure engulfed in flames when they arrived at the scene. Power lines located above the building made fighting the fire more difficult until Green Mountain Power could turn off electricity, the release said. The fire was under control and fire crews left the area just after 5 a.m.
Hartford Fire Marshal Tom Peltier, who was at the site Tuesday afternoon, said the department is investigating the scene and working to find a cause and origin of the blaze before determining whether the fire is suspicious.
Neighbor Dave Thomas said he was just going to bed early Tuesday morning when he looked out his window on Park Street and saw the flames.
“I heard some crackling and I thought someone was starting a motorcycle or something,” he said.
When he realized it was a fire, he called 911 and was told crews were already on their way. Thomas said he was a little concerned about the proximity of the fire, which was just across the street from a gas station.
“This was the biggest fire I’ve ever seen,” he added.
A person who answered Wood’s phone Tuesday declined to comment on the early morning blaze and said Wood was not available.
All that was left of the historic, 150-year-old building Tuesday afternoon was charred pieces of lumber and roof panels behind a roll of fire scene tape.
The small, one-story building was constructed in the late 1800s and originally home to a grain store before it was purchased by the Cascadnac Grange, a fraternal organization, in the 1930s, according to Les Gibbs, whose family was a member of the Grange. For 60 years, the organization used the building for a meeting place and event space.
Dinners and dances were organized at the building, along with the occasional Selectboard meeting, Gibbs said. When candidates running for local or state offices came through Hartford, they often stopped by the Grange to meet members of the community and hold talks, making use of the building’s stage, Gibbs said.
“The Grange was very significant for the community,” he said, adding that the hardwood floors were “good for dancing.”
In 1998, Wood purchased both the Grange building and the adjacent property, which was home to the historic Hartford Diner.
A year after Wood purchased the properties, he tried to develop the Hartford Diner land with a retaining wall, but was issued a violation from the town. That kicked off a 17-year legal battle between Wood and the town over zoning regulations related to the property, which overlooks the White River.
In 2004, a fire broke out at the diner building, destroying much of the structure.
Investigators declared that blaze a case of arson but no one was ever charged in connection to the fire. The remains of the building were razed in 2017 after a Vermont Environmental Court judge ordered Wood to remove the diner, remove the retaining wall he’d built, and pay $20,000 to the town.
The latest fire remained under investigation Tuesday afternoon. Anyone with information, photos or video of the fire is asked to call the Hartford Fire Department at 802-295-3232.
Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.