WELLS RIVER — A weekend house fire displaced a family from their Leete Hill Road home.
None of the residents were home when the fire began on Saturday, said Wells River Fire Chief Jeff Morin.
The homeowner’s son noticed smoke when driving nearby, and entered the structure to rescue three dogs.
“He was almost overcome with smoke, and the fire. He luckily got out after he got the dogs,” Morin said by phone Tuesday.
The Wells River Fire Department arrived at the scene at 71 Leete Hill Road around 3 p.m.
Upon arrival, the entire three-bedroom double-wide was engulfed in flames. Morin said he believes it housed four occupants.
The owner’s son inhaled smoke when he went to get the dogs, almost causing him to collapse, said Morin. He refused hospital transport, and appeared to be fine without medical assistance.
Based on information from the owner’s son, the fire started on right-hand side, but spread quickly to the entire home.
“It wasn’t long before it was through the whole building,” said Morin.
The home was not salvageable after having been fully engulfed in flamed from one end to the other, said Morin.
The precise origin of the fire within the home remains unknown, as does the cause of the fire, said Morin.
It took about three hours for firefighters to extinguish the blaze. One truck and two firefighters continued to monitor the area until 9 p.m.
The Wells River Fire Department received mutual aid from the Woodsville, Newbury, Vt.; Ryegate, Vt.; Monroe, N.H.; and Haverhill fire departments, said Morin.
Jamie Sherman owns the home, according to town records. Efforts to reach Sherman were not successful by deadline on Tuesday.
Kelsey Beede, a relative of the family, started a GoFundMe effort to raise funds for the family. The Wells River Fire Department shared the link on social media.
“The fire not only destroyed their home, but also left them without many of their belongings and a safe place to stay,” the GoFundMe said.
The GoFundMe had raised $1,930 of its $6,000 goal as of Tuesday afternoon. The funds will go toward finding temporary housing and replacing essential clothing.
Morin contacted Red Cross to coordinate lodging for the displaced family and set them up with basic necessities.