Newport
Crews responded to a structure fire at Tammy Hamilton’s house around 6:30 a.m. and immediately struck a second alarm, Newport Fire Chief Wayne Conroy said in a telephone interview.
“The first arriving crews had heavy fire coming through the roof,” Conroy said. “The home had been burning for awhile.”
Hamilton, who left for work around 4:30 a.m., came home while firefighters were on scene and expressed concern about her pets that were inside.
Upon entry, firefighters rescued a cat from the basement, and later pulled Hamilton’s only dog from rubble on the main floor.
“The dog was alive,” Conroy said with a sense of surprise. Newport’s ambulance crew warmed up the “very wet and cold” pooch and provided oxygen until the family could get the dog to the veterinarian for evaluation.
Two cats were still unaccounted for on Tuesday afternoon, according to a Newport Fire Department news release.
The fire started in the basement and appears to have been related to electrical wiring, Conroy said.
The home has been deemed a total loss.
The mid-section of the 2,330-square-foot home looked as if a wrecking ball had gone through it. The walls and roof had completely burned to the ground, but both ends of the single-story ranch still stood.
Debris was strewn out into the yard, and nearly all of the windows had been smashed out.
According to Newport assessing records, the home itself was valued at about $125,000.
The chief said he heard Hamilton didn’t have homeowners insurance. Attempts to reach her on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
The Red Cross is assisting Hamilton, providing financial assistance in the immediate future for shelter, food and clothing, said Lloyd Ziel, chief communications and marketing officer.
The home did have smoke detectors. However, they were not working at the time of the fire, Newport fire Lt. Corey Conroy said.
Fire crews from New London, Goshen, Lempster, Claremont, Croydon and Newbury aided Newport.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.