Fire guts home

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:31:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

A family lost almost everything in a two-alarm fire that ravaged their Weare home on Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Weare firefighters, the first to arrive on the scene at 11 Cilley Hill Road, said the blaze started about 12:51 p.m. Local trucks arrived within five minutes.

Later, teams from Henniker, Bow, Dunbarton, New Boston and Hopkinton also responded. Firefighters were able to recover a pistol that saved Jimmy Gilman’s father’s life in World War II more than 60 years ago from a dresser drawer in one of the bedrooms.

“They were able to save that. Everything else is pretty much gone,” said Chris Douglas, husband of Virginia Gilman and one of the residents of the house that burned to the ground in a matter of hours.

Fire officials suspect the fire originated in the chimney of the two-story house, but Douglas said the structure, built in 1981 on land that has remained in the Gilman family for six generations, had also recently experienced electrical problems.

No one was home when the fire started. Virginia Gilman said she pulled into the driveway, saw flames and immediately dialed 911 on her cell phone. “There were flames coming out of the house. I was on the phone. I called 911,” said Virginia Gilman, the daughter of Jimmy Gilman.

Firefighter Ricky Hippler, the first emergency responder to arrive on scene, said the flames had engulfed about 30 percent of the structure and quickly spread. The fire department established a 4-inch water line to pump water to the site and the fire was completely under control within two hours.

Creosote buildup in the chimney was the likely cause of the fire, which destroyed the house, said Hippler.

“It is a complete loss,” Hippler said. “This is the perfect example of why you should have your chimney regularly cleaned.”

Douglas, who arrived at the scene minutes after his wife, said he was still in shock after the flames had been extinguised. “I almost crashed into the snowbank coming into the driveway when I saw the house,” said Douglas. “I’m still pretty surprised that it happened.”

The family’s two dogs, a chocolate lab and a boxer, were safely removed from the building. As of Jan. 6, a house cat remained missing.

Balancing school and work

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 30 May 2007 17:51:00 GMT

BY RYAN O'CONNOR

Arielle Turcotte, who plans to pursue culinary arts in college, found the perfect opportunity to gain much needed experience with food preparation and cooking at Page’s Country Store in Dunbarton.

Turcotte, 18, of Weare, attends Bishop Brady High School in Concord, from which she will graduate this June. Still, she finds the time to work four to five days per week during the school year, something she said can be tough.

“I need the money for college and I needed the experience for culinary arts school, so I just try to get as much homework as I can done during the day,” she said. “I really like it here. It’s really hard sometimes, but it’s a lot of fun and it’s a really laid back environment.”

Along with working the register at times, Turcotte spends much of her working hours behind the deli and making pizzas.

It was Turcotte’s father, recognizing her desire to work with food, who set up the job opportunity with David Barkie, owner of Page’s Country Store, roughly six months ago.

Barkie, who hires many employees Turcotte’s age, said she has been a breath of fresh air, maturity-wise, compared to the dozens of other high school students he has hired over the years.

“I think she does a great job and she has caught on very quickly,” said Barkie. “She is very quality oriented with food preparation and making sure things are measured right, that kind of stuff.

“Her work ethic is exceptional,” he continued. “She values her job and understands the importance and responsibility of working here every day. She has really been a great influence to some of the younger kids who work here.”

Weare News : Dunbarton

Fire guts home

Balancing school and work