Cause of Montpelier house fire unknown
Toolbox
By Thatcher Moats Times Argus Staff - Published: October 27, 2009
MONTPELIER – Investigators have been unable to determine what caused a fire that damaged a Montpelier home last week but said there is no evidence it was intentionally set.
Firefighters from five departments raced to a fire at a single-family home at 4 Crestview Drive last Friday night just before 10 p.m. The fire started in the furnace room in the basement and spread to a first-floor bathroom, said Montpelier Fire Chief Gesualdo Schneider.
Firefighters from Montpelier knocked down the fire in the basement and Barre City firefighters battled the flames on the first floor. The blaze was under control about 30 minutes after firefighters arrived at the house, and the building was saved, said Schneider.
"We're pleased we got a quick call on it…and were able to respond quickly and knock it down," said Schneider.
The homeowners, Robert and Irene Stewart, were at home when the fire started and discovered smoke coming up through vents, said Schneider.
Robert Stewart, 65, fought the flames with fire extinguishers and was later taken to Central Vermont Medical Center where he was treated for smoke inhalation, but he was not seriously injured, officials said.
Two cats died as a result of the fire.
Schneider said the fire was close to being much worse. Firefighters found temperatures in the house that were close to causing "flashover," which is when the heat builds up enough to ignite the materials in the house, such as rugs and furniture, said Schneider.
"The heat actually drives out the flammable gasses from the materials as they are heated," he said. "And it's those gasses that actually burn. So there was a lot of heat and smoke throughout the house, but it did not ignite."
After flashover, "Then basically the place is fully involved at that point," said Schneider.
The flames and smoke damaged the interior of the house, but the damage was not structural, Schneider said.
"The home is not destroyed," he said. "It's going to take a fair amount of cleaning out, but I think it's repairable."
The Vermont State Police fire investigation unit and the Division of Fire Safety conducted an investigation but announced on Monday that they could not pin down exactly how the fire started.
Firefighters from the Middlesex, Berlin and East Montpelier fire departments also responded to the fire.
72