Dog dies Thursday in fire that consumes mobile home in Belmont

BELMONT — The lone occupant of a Valley Drive mobile home was able to leave after the house caught fire Thursday morning, but one dog died in the blaze that destroyed the residence.

“Unfortunately, despite extensive efforts, the dog was later located inside the residence, and did not survive the fire,” Fire Chief Donald Pickowicz said.

The Belmont Fire Department was called to a building fire at 9:27 a.m. on Jan. 29, on Valley Drive, reported by Laconia Fire Chief Tim Joubert. Joubert observed a large column of black smoke while in the area, and immediately called for assistance. When he arrived, he saw fire throughout the structure.

“We could see the column of smoke, and it was definitely aggressive and dark black, so I radioed into Fire Aid,” Joubert said.

Joubert and Deputy Chief Louis Loutrel were in the area, as they were going to look at storage containers to build a new training facility. Their pagers went off about the reported fire, and they learned it was on Valley Drive, about 1 mile away.

He and Loutrel were first on the scene, and found a single-wide mobile home with fire inside, coming outside.

“The fire was pretty well involved,” Joubert said. “The occupant was out, and we confirmed there was nobody else, but there was a dog inside.”

Belmont companies arrived shortly after and stretched two hose lines to attack the fire. A large diameter hose was stretched down the street by junior firefighter Ethan Girard and retired police officer Bob Akerstrom to set up for a rural water supply.

“Crews worked quickly and efficiently to bring the fire under control,” Pickowicz said

Mutual Aid departments provided “critical assistance” at the fire, which included fire departments from Franklin, Gilford, Gilmanton, Laconia and Tilton-Northfield. Belmont Fire thanked other law enforcement and emergency responder partners who helped at the scene.

Pickowicz confirmed no civilian or firefighter injuries were reported. He expressed condolences to the homeowner, whose dog didn’t make it out of the home.

“Our thoughts are with the property owner following the loss,” Pickowicz said.

While the incident is under investigation, the homeowner reported flames coming from the clothes dryer. Investigators are looking into the point of origin.

“The structure sustained significant fire damage and is considered a total loss,” Pickowicz said. “The occupant was displaced, and the American Red Cross was contacted and met with the homeowner to provide assistance.”