No injuries in fire that destroys Moultonborough shorefront home

MOULTONBOROUGH — A shorefront cottage was destroyed by fire Monday night, bringing in departments from across the Lakes Region to help, including a pair of fire boats.

Fire Chief David Bengtson said the owners of the house on Clement Road were not home, but were nearby, and could see the flames. He said they called 911 to report their house was on fire, and at 7:36 p.m. on July 20, Moultonborough Fire responded to the scene. After the initial call, other calls were taken by Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid, reporting a building on fire on Moultonborough Neck.

“With those calls, a first alarm was requested, bringing units to the scene,” Bengtson said. “They also requested Gilford and Tuftonboro Fire boats.”

When firefighters arrived, they found the 2,100-square-foot cottage “fully involved.” There was one other building in the area that was threatened, but firefighters were able to contain the blaze.

Bengtson said they were able to get an engine within 300 feet of the cottage, and stretched hose line to fight the blaze. Boats from Gilford and Tuftonboro proved to be integral in fighting the fire, and ensuring it didn’t spread.

“They pulled up to the dock, and operated off there with their hose lines,” Bengtson said.

Gilford Fire Chief Steve Carrier said the fire boat was dispatched at 7:42 p.m. on Monday, and the crew arrived 20 minutes later, with four on-duty personnel responding from Glendale.

“They attacked the fire with the deck gun of the front of the boat,” Carrier said.

Once the fire was knocked down, they tied up at a dock and supplied water to crews on land. Carrier said water is drafted from the lake, which comes into the pump, and is distributed out.

Carrier said the fire boats are called automatically, in some areas on the lake which can be difficult to get to, or where extra help is needed.

“It varies, based on the spot on the lake,” Carrier said.

Carrier said being on the other side of Lake Winnipesaukee does create a time delay, but it is actually a pretty straight shot, and presented no issues. He said they were fortunate there was still daylight, and the weather was good.

“The guys did a great job,” Carrier said. “It makes a difference to have the equipment that is capable of flowing water.”

Carrier said it's likely the most severe building fire to which the boat has responded this year, and there is usually one per year of this caliber. Some years, the fire boat will respond to as many as 60 incidents — which is busy — and the average is about 30 calls, which include anything from fires to medical emergencies.

The fire completely burned down the cottage, built 79 years ago, Bengtson said. He said this was part of a well-maintained family complex, used every year, and fortunately nobody was there at the time. No injuries were reported to residents or firefighters.

Bengtson said the origin appears to be one of two bedrooms. The home sits on piers, and the fire could have started under the floor.

Despite losing the home, Bengtson was happy with the crews who responded, and made sure it didn’t spread to make matters worse. He said the cooperation between firefighters was “outstanding,” especially in an area far from the main station, on a dead-end road.

“Unfortunately, when we got there and saw there wasn’t much to do to save the property, so it was to limit the spread,” Bengtson said. “It was an excellent response.”

He thanked Gilford and Tuftonboro fire for the use of their boats, as the fire could have presented water supply challenges.

“Having the boats there made a significant difference in the ability to extinguish and suppress fire,” Bengtson said. “They really make a big difference in water supply. They’re an integral part in fire suppression and protection plans for structures on the water.”

Other responding crews include Center Harbor, Holderness, Laconia, Meredith, Sandwich, and Tuftonboro. Wolfeboro Fire covered the station.

Bengtson said the cause is under investigation, but does not seem suspicious.

“The cause is undetermined,” Bengtson said on Tuesday. “We were down there this morning, and could not come to a conclusive cause of the fire.”