Fires hit buildings in Winchester, Hancock Monday afternoon

April 14--T wo second-alarm building fires at about the same time Monday afternoon caused damage at opposite ends of the Monadnock Region.

In Winchester, firefighters from that town, Brattleboro, Fitzwilliam, Hinsdale, Keene, Marlborough, Richmond and Warwick, Mass., battled a barn fire on Warwick Road that sent two men to the hospital.

In Hancock, firefighters from that town, Antrim, Bennington, Dublin, Nelson, Peterborough and Stoddard battled a house fire at 19 Boutwell Road on Nubanusit Lake.

No one was hurt in that blaze, but one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion, Hancock Assistant Fire Chief Thomas F. "Tom" Bates said.

The fires, which were roughly 40 miles driving distance away from each other, were reported less than 30 minutes apart.

The Winchester fire was called in at 1:14 p.m., and the Hancock fire was called in at 1:41 p.m, according to Southwestern N.H. District Fire Mutual Aid.

The weather was dry Monday afternoon, and temperatures in the region hovered around 70 degrees.

The Winchester fire gutted a barn and a camper at 563 Warwick Road and sent two men to the hospital.

The property is owned by Burnham "Bud" Hurlbert and Marie Hurlbert.

A man was working in his yard when he saw flames coming from the 50-by-60-foot barn, said Winchester Fire Lt. Robert A. Dingman. Because of the windy and dry conditions, the fire escalated and set the nearby 30-foot camper ablaze, Dingman said.

The man was taken to Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene with third-degree burns on his leg, according to Dingman. The fire lieutenant said he could not release the injured man's name, but Jolene Cote, a nearby resident who said the man is her landlord, identified him as Burnham Hurlbert. A spokeswoman said this morning that Hurlbert was not on their list of patients whose conditions can be disclosed.

Cote said her 16-year-old son was home at the time of the fire and called 911.

The fire in the barn, which contained tools and hay, was caused by a spark from a torch, according to Dingman. Hay bales outside the barn also caught fire.

Both the barn and the camper are a total loss, Dingman said.

One Winchester firefighter also went to Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene as a precaution because he was "overheated," Dingman said. The firefighter was later released and is OK, according to Dingman. Firefighters left the scene of the Winchester fire at 5:46 p.m, according to Southwestern N.H. District Fire Mutual Aid dispatchers.

In Hancock, Jill G. Johnston and her husband, Daniel, were at their Boutwell Road home Monday afternoon when she heard the smoke alarm sound. After checking the inside of their home, Jill Johnston went outside to greet some guests who were arriving and saw smoke and flames coming from the house, she said.

Bates said that when firefighters arrived, there were flames around the chimney and smoke along the ridgeline of the roof.

Fire officials called for a second alarm right away to bring in more firefighters, he said.

The fact that the home had a cathedral ceiling helped firefighters, because they didn't have to deal with battling fire in an attic, Bates said, but it also made it more difficult to cut holes in the roof to vent the smoke.

Firefighters used chain saws and other tools to open up the roof. Charred sections of the roof were then tossed on top of a snowbank at the base of the house next to the driveway.

Bates said it took firefighters about 15 minutes to knock down the fire, and it was under control in about 30 to 45 minutes.

Firefighters left the scene at 5:05 p.m., according to Fire Mutual Aid dispatchers.

Bates said this morning that the house is livable, and the homeowners just need to get the roof fixed.

The cause is still under investigation, he said.

Jill Johnston said she and her husband have lived in Hancock for 15 years and moved into their current home, which they built, three years ago.

The family dog escaped the fire unharmed, she said.

They have insurance on the home, which is assessed at $1.5 million and sits on Nubanusit Lake.

Jill Johnston said the fire is upsetting, but she is glad no one was hurt.Meghan Foley can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1436, or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @MFoleyKS.

Meghan Foley can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1436, or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @MFoleyKS.

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