Log cabin destroyed by fire in Center Harbor, no injuries

CENTER HARBOR — A fire which broke out around midday on Dec. 27 destroyed a home, but the damage was contained to the single building and no injuries were reported.

Emergency responders were notified at 12:02 p.m. by a neighbor who called 911 after seeing “heavy fire showing” from the building next door, according to Center Harbor Fire Chief Tyler Driscoll.

Within two minutes of receiving the tone, Driscoll said, Center Harbor had two engines “out the door” and on the way to the fire. When the first crews arrived, they found a log cabin-style home at 28 Daniel Webster Hwy that was, as Driscoll said, “well involved” with fire.

Thanks to Mutual Aid arrangements, the first firefighters onscene arrived from the Meredith Fire Department, and they saw fire coming from windows and doors from both the first and second stories of the home. Center Harbor engines arrived moments later, and the crews focused on attacking the fire from the exterior of the building. It took about one hour to bring it under control.

Police from Meredith and Center Harbor assisted with traffic control. The New Hampshire Department of Transportation and the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative also helped during the incident.

Driscoll said the resident of the home was running errands when the fire broke out.

“It’s obviously very fortunate, but we’re very thankful that no one was injured,” he said, while also expressing gratitude for partners in Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid, including Meredith as well as Moultonborough, Laconia, Sandwich, Ashland and Holderness, and Stewart's Ambulance Service.

“Meredith got there about 2 minutes ahead of Center Harbor,” he noted, which no doubt played an important role in keeping the fire from spreading. The fire suppression effort was also fueled by a pressurized hydrant located just over the Meredith town line.

“At no time did we run out of water during the incident,” Driscoll said.

The cause of the fire is “totally undetermined,” Driscoll said, though he took the opportunity to offer a cautionary message.

“We remind citizens to use caution when dealing with hot materials around their properties, including disposal of wood ash and smoking materials,” Driscoll said in a press release. Those materials should be placed in fireproof containers, such as metal bins, and stored away from anything that could be ignited, such as firewood, paper or fuel.