NHSA Directors House Destroyed by Fire

Fire Fund Set Up for Donations

Courtesy of The Citizen of Laconia (www.citizen.com)
By Gail Ober

July 1, 2009


State police, local police and State Police K-9s combed the woods in apparent search for someone regarding a fast-moving three-alarm fire that gutted a home on Grey Rock Road Sunday afternoon.

While police have not officially commented, Belmont Police Detective Raechel Moulton said the property was an "active crime scene," but referred all further inquiries to Chief Vincent Baiocchetti.

A New Hampshire state fire marshal's investigator was also at the 23 Grey Rock Road home but he, too, declined to comment.

Elizabeth Brown, who lives next door to the home at 17 Grey Rock Road, said she and was in her home just after noon when she heard an alarm sound from the neighbor's home she said was owned by Peter and Gail Hanson.

Brown said she ran through the woods to the Hansons' home after she walked out of her house and saw flames "pouring from the house," calling 9-1-1 from her cell phone as she ran.

"I heard a couple little kabooms," she said, adding she saw wicker furniture stacked on the porch and thought an intruder may have entered the home. "I don't know if they have fireworks in the house."

She said Hanson is a professional pyrotechnician who was doing a fireworks show in Boston while his wife was visiting her ailing father in Massachusetts. She said she ran over because she was afraid the Hanson's dog, Harley, was in the house. However, she was relieved to learn the animal was in a local kennel.

Brown, her daughter and neighbor Gene Mazzone were walking down the Hansons' driveway as the fire raged behind them after police asked everyone to leave the area around the house so as to not confuse a State Police tracking dog that was coming.

"We have to catch this little ———," said Mazzone who was convinced the fire was set.

Tanya Kosick has lived across the street for 11 years and said she saw a young man she couldn't identify walking down the nearby railroad tracks.

"We pretty much know everybody around here," she said saying she saw him when she went to the nearby beach on Lake Winnisquam to retrieve her kayak after she heard the alarm sound. "We didn't know this kid."

"I knew the police were looking for somebody," she said referring to the Belmont police cars seen darting around the immediate area within minutes of the fire being reported.

By 12.45 p.m. police had sealed off the area and many reported seeing them searching along the railroad tracks that parallel the Winnipesaukee River.

Andy Caron of Dracut, Mass., is summer resident at nearby Winnisquam Beach Resort.

Shortly after 3:30 p.m. he said he saw two Belmont Police cars toward the river side of the campground and one police officer running in and out of the woods.

"He must have done that three or four times," said Caron who said the police "took off out of here" moments later.

"I think they caught somebody," he said. "Heck, they must have. All the cops are gone now."

Mazzone said he heard the police had a young man in custody.

"He had taken his shirt off," referring to the previous description of a young man walking along the railroads tracks wearing a white T-shirt, dark or blue shorts, and a baseball cap who was carrying a dark green backpack.

Neighbor Dave Lilly said he remembered a house burning in the same spot about 10 to 15 years ago.

Lilly said the Hansons built their home on the spot of the previous blaze because they purchased adjoining lots and this one had a foundation.

Fire Chief James Davis declined to speculate about the cause of the blaze, saying only that it went to three alarms.

"I called the first alarm because there were multiple reports, the second when I got here, and third to help mop up because we were all short of manpower," said Davis.

While Davis remained on Grey Rock Road until late, Firefighter Albert Akerstrom said firefighters from as far away as Barnstead and Franklin assisted with shuttling water from a dry hydrant about one-half mile away.

He also said one firefighter passed out from heat exhaustion. "[All fires are] miserable, but this one was very hot and muggy," Akerstrom said.

Firefighters from Gilmanton, Gilford, Alton, Laconia, Sanbornton, Tilton-Northfield, Barnstead and Franklin assisted at the fire. Bristol firefighters covered the Belmont station while Stewart Ambulance provided ambulance coverage.

Gail Ober/Citizen Photo
FIRE POURS FROM the top floor of a home on 23 Grey Rock Road
in Belmont early Sunday afternoon.

Gail Ober/Citizen Photo
AN UNIDENTIFIED STATE POLICE K-9 officer and his dog prepare to
search for clues to a fire that gutted a house on 23 Grey Lock Road in Belmont Sunday afternoon

 

NHSA has set up a fire fund to help Gail and her Husband Peter deal with their losses from this devastating fire.

Please consider sending a donation to:

Gail and Peter Hanson Fire Fund
c/o Laconia Savings Bank
62 Pleasant Street
Laconia, NH  03246

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