CARTHAGE — Weekend fires that destroyed a camp on Winter Hill Road in Carthage and a vacant home on Sewall Street in Wilton are under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s office.
“Both fires are considered arson fires,” state investigator Kenneth MacMaster said Monday. “A criminal investigation of both fires is being conducted by our office. Anyone with any information is asked to call the State Fire Marshal office at 626-3870.”
MacMaster did not comment on the cause of either blaze or if they are connected. They occurred about 10 miles from each other and about an hour apart.
The fire at 9 Sewall St. in Wilton was called in at 2:29 a.m. Saturday by police officer Gary Allen, who spotted it while on patrol. The home was owned by Kandi Ward of Roxbury, was not insured and had been vacant for two years.
Carthage firefighters were called out at 3:20 a.m. Saturday after a neighbor reported hearing what sounded like an explosion and then a jet engine, Carthage Assistant Fire Chief Larry Blodgett said. No one was at the camp, he said.
Blodgett said the sounds heard by neighbors on Winter Hill Road were probably the propane tank exploding. Gas leaking afterward sounds like a jet engine, he said.
The log cabin appeared to be a nice, rustic building nestled in the woods, he said. It was owned by someone in the Rumford area and was near John Steel’s Rocky Mountain All-Terrain Park, he said.
Winter Hill Road is a dirt road off Morrison Hill on Route 2.
The East Dixfield Fire Department responded to both fires. The cabin was in flames and the roof had collapsed when firefighters arrived, East Dixfield Fire Chief Randy Hall told Blodgett.
“We were successful in knocking down the fire and keeping it from spreading into the woods,” Blodgett said.
Firetrucks managed to get up the narrow road, which he described as like a snowmobile trail.
Dixfield, Mexico and Weld fire departments assisted.
The Carthage department is posting fliers and will go door to door asking if anyone saw anything unusual or any new vehicles on the narrow road, Blodgett said.
abryant@sunmediagroup.net
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.