ROLLINSFORD, N.H. (AP) – Two hours after arriving at the burning garage, everything seemed under control and the firefighters left. The Janetos family went to stay with relatives.
Later that night, the neighbors called. The fire had reignited. It destroyed the garage, a truck, a child’s bedroom and part of the family’s living room.
“When we left the house we were under the impression that everything was under control, but one hour later we heard sirens,” said Debbie Janetos. “We left with the understanding that they (firefighters) were going to stay. All this money we’re paying in property taxes and our house goes up in flames.”
Debbie and Mark Janetos were using a heat lamp to warm baby chicks. The lamp ignited their garage around 1 a.m. Sunday.
Smoke detectors woke the couple up. Their two children were not home at the time; they were staying overnight at their grandmother’s house in Somersworth.
The fire destroyed about one-third of the garage. Mrs. Janetos said Rollinsford Fire Chief Harry Knowles told her firefighters checked for hot spots and there weren’t any.
“I was telling my father that this isn’t that bad, we just have to fix the garage.’ Now it’s half the house,” she said.
The main house had heavy smoke and water damage, Knowles said. He added that he didn’t know how the second fire started or how much damage was done. A neighbor called 911 at around 5 a.m. to report the reignited blaze.
Knowles said investigators from the state Fire Marshal’s office still haven’t determined a cause for the second fire. He would not say whether the fire was suspicious.
Rochester, Dover, Rollinsford, Somersworth, and Berwick, South Berwick, North Berwick and Eliot, Maine responded to the second call while Kittery Point, Maine Fire Department provided station coverage for Rollinsford.
After each of the fires, firefighters worked to remove all insulation from the damaged parts of the home and chainsawed through the roof to make sure no hot spots were lurking underneath.
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Information from: Foster’s Daily Democrat, http://www.fosters.com
AP-ES-04-26-04 1307EDT
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