EAST CORINTH — Firefighters called in an excavator to take down a house on Village Road after it was completely destroyed by fire Thursday evening, Corinth Fire Chief Ed Pospisil said Friday.
The call for a structure fire with heavy smoke came in around 4 p.m. Thursday and when firefighters arrived the house was fully involved with flames.
“When I was coming through the village I couldn’t even find the building because the smoke was so heavy it banked down the whole street until I got into the clearings,” Pospisil said Friday.
Several area departments including Bradford, Vt., Piermont, Newbury, Vershire, Fairlee and Tri-Village departments battled the blaze for four hours Thursday, officially clearing the scene just after 8 p.m.
There were no injuries and the only occupant in the 1½-story wood home got out safely.
The home that is owned by Fred and Laurie Fellows was valued at $85,000 in 2024, according to town property records. Pospisil estimated the home dates back to the late 1800s or early 1900s, increasing complications for firefighters.
Given the state of the building, Pospisil said the cause of the fire is unknown but he did not order an investigation because it did not appear to be caused by arson. The house had a pellet stove, he said.
After getting the fire under control, Pospisil said first responders called in an excavator to knock down the house, which was a total loss. Otherwise, he said, fire crews would have been on scene all night “just pouring water” on the house to make sure the blaze was completely extinguished.