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.

Weare News : Henniker

Fire guts home