Fire folo

SANBORNTON - The Knox Hill Road home severely damaged by a barn fire Saturday evening was in foreclosure and had the power cut to it earlier in the week.

Town assessing records show also the home was taken back from Ron and Cynthia Huber by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) on April 4, 2010.

A town employee also said there was a "junkyard" complaint filed regarding the house about a week ago but it didn't rise to the level of requiring town action.

The Hubers, who ran a vegetarian meat substitute business moved to Montana earlier in the year. The current tenants, Diane McAuliffe and her son Derek, were in the process of moving when the barn fire started.

"It is under active investigation," said Fire Chief John DeSilva who added the investigation is being handled by the office of the State Fire Marshal.

The fire burned with such intensity that Fire Chief John DeSliva said he went to four alarms. Firefighters saved the house, built in the 1790s, but the barn and a connecting ell were lost.

"Water is a concern in that area," he said adding New Hampton Fire Chief Mike Drake coordinated all of the water shuttles and did an "outstanding" job.

He said Drake coordinated running 900 feet of hose from a pressurized hydrant at the corner of Osgood and Brook Roads. He said truck filled at the hydrant and shuttled water to the site. The hydrant is in Sanbornton but is part of Franklin's water supply.

DeSilva noted there is a pond at nearby Sant Bani School but said with the summer drought firefighters couldn't be sure there was enough water and they were better off with a pressurized hydrant.

The fire was reported at 7:25 p.m. Saturday by a passerby who went to the front door to alert the occupants to the fire.

When he opened the front door, DeSilva said a bassets hound dog and a cat ran out. Firefighters later went in a rescued a kitten from one of the back rooms.

A Knox Hill Road resident said the outside of the home had fallen into disrepair and that when the Hubers lived there the front gardens were "lovely."

"They had done quite a bit of work on the barn," said the resident.

CAPTION - The charred end of an ell connecting to a house on Knox Hill Road is left after a 4-alarm fire razed the barn Saturday night.