BY ROD HANSEN

A New Boston couple  can thank the cry of a smoke detector for saving their lives, according to the town’s fire chief.

Homeowner Kelsey Nippe and Jerrod Poliquin had been burning a fire in the fireplace of the home at 114 Pine Road the evening of Sunday, Jan. 14. They went to bed at approximately 10 p.m. McDonald said he believes a smoldering fire sparked the blaze that erupted in the ranch-style home around 2 a.m.

“They’re probably alive today based on the smoke detector,” said Fire Chief Dan MacDonald. “They were sleeping pretty soundly, and smoke can kill you in your sleep. It was the smoke detector that got them up and out.”

The fire probably started in a room adjoining the chimney, MacDonald said. By the time the smoke detector awoke Nippe and Poliquin, the house was already thick with smoke.

The couple escaped the home with one of their dogs, leaving the other inside.

MacDonald and firefighter Dave Rugg were the first to arrive on the scene, and firefighter Dan Teague led the first crew into the house for the initial attack. Teague was able to locate the source of the fire using a thermal imaging device, McDonald said.

At the height of the emergency, approximately 25 New Boston firefighters were on scene with two of the town’s engines, a hose truck, a tanker, an air truck and an ambulance. Mutual aid from surrounding towns included engines from Weare and Francestown, a tanker from Goffstown and an engine and a tanker from

Mont Vernon, MacDonald said.

Because the home is located at the end of a narrow road in a remote section of town, firefighters had to think quickly to locate a water source. Firefighter John Bunting pointed out a nearby water supply and set up a tanker shuttle, MacDonald said. Firefighters used approximately 500 gallons battling the blaze, according to the chief.

The fire was under control within about an hour, and fire personnel started clearing the scene around 5:30 p.m., Macdonald said. The house itself suffered limited damage during the incident.

“The house is completely rebuildable. There’s really no structural damage. The repairs would be mostly replacing sheet rock, cleaning wood and replacing the carpeting. Mostly cosmetic stuff,” MacDonald said.

The house had formerly been a camp that Dr. Sam Brooks and his family converted into a home about 30 years ago, MacDonald said. Nippe had only purchased the house about a month ago, and is now staying with family who live nearby.

The second dog that was inside the home also survived after being located by Rugg, MacDonald said.