Local News

Log cabin sustains heavy damage from fire 

By BOB MARTIN 

Eagle Times Staff 

CHESTER, Vt. — Firefighters fought through the elements of freezing weather and ice to put out a fire at a log cabin on Hidden Heights Road in Chester on Tuesday afternoon, and while it sustained extensive damage, nobody was injured in the blaze. 

“The cabin is an open concept style and not very a huge house, either,” said Chief Scott Richardson. “So really, the smoke got into everything.” 

Richardson explained that a neighbor called in a report of a fire at 413 Hidden Heights Road around 3:15 p.m., and crews arrived on scene at 3:30 p.m. Initially there was fire and smoke showing from the back of the building and through the roof. The engine crew of five put out two attack lines to knock the fire down, and there was an extensive overhaul. 

The fire was knocked down fairly quickly. Crews remained at the scene until 5:42 p.m. to check for hot spots, rip down ceilings and have an overhaul of the attic area. 

Richardson said the cabin is a second home, and the owner was notified by a neighbor that his house was on fire as he was on his way back to Connecticut from being at the cabin earlier that day. The owner turned around and went back to Chester to address the damage and meet with officials. Fortunately, nobody was in the cabin, and there were no injuries reported. 

“The cause is under investigation, but it started in a utility room out back,” Richardson said. “There was a bunch of different stuff in there so trying to figure that out. There was a propane heater and an electrical panel, so we are trying to narrow it down.” 

Richardson said the cold and the ice presented many challenges, as well as the cabin being located on a small back road.  

“Our normal tanker coming in and dropping the water to a quarter tank and going to refill, there wasn’t enough room on the road to do that, so it was pumping off the tankers and kind of getting bottlenecked,” Richardson said. “The fire was knocked down pretty much with water from the first engine.” 

Richardson said the icy driveway also presented an issue, as about an hour into extinguishing the fire, one of the engines began sliding and went into a ditch about 25 feet away. Fortunately, there was enough looseness in the lines that had already been extended, and the engineer of the truck turned the wheels into the snowbanks to avert any further issues. 

“These are just some of the problems that can arise in these kinds of conditions,” Richardson said. “There are also hazards with water on the ground turning immediately to ice, and causing slipping and sliding, and trying to move around.” 

The cabin is in a fairly secluded area and Richardson said there was no threat to any other residences in the area. 

Engines 1 and 2, and Utility 1, responded along with Chester Ambulance Service and Chester Vermont Police Department. Proctorsville Volunteer Fire Department and Springfield Fire Department assisted with manpower on scene. There were also tankers from Ludlow Fire Department, Windham Fire Department, Rockingham, Westminster and Weston Fire & Rescue Department, and Bellows Falls Fire Department covered the station, cleaned the gear and brought the apparatus back into service. 

“It is never easy, and they do a great job,” Richardson said. “Every week we have training, and it really pays when we put it into action. For such a small crew, they did a wonderful job.”