Fire Destroys Cabin on Little Ascutney #WeathersfieldVT #PerkinsvilleVT #VT
Sunday Nov 8, 2015
Little Ascutney RD Weathersfield VT
An old logging cabin on Little Ascutney in Perkinsville VT burned to the ground Sunday evening Nov. 8. The 911 call was place by an unidentified person who saw the smoke and flames in the night sky from the Downers Four Corners area.
West Weathersfield Fire Chief Josh Dauphin had a difficult time locating the structure on fire because the exact location was not reported. After checking a few dirt driveways and logging roads, the address of 721 Little Ascutney Rd was located.
An old logging cabin on Little Ascutney in Perkinsville VT burned to the ground Sunday evening Nov. 8. The 911 call was place by an unidentified person who saw the smoke and flames in the night sky from the Downers Four Corners area.
West Weathersfield Fire Chief Josh Dauphin had a difficult time locating the structure on fire because the exact location was not reported. After checking a few dirt driveways and logging roads, the address of 721 Little Ascutney Rd was located.
The property owner, Rhonda Foley, told the fire fighters that the cabin was built in 1920 (or 1930) and was on the property when she and her family purchased the land years ago. The structure was uninhabited and basically empty. "Nothing was stored in there, no gasoline or fuels of any kind; it was pretty much empty" she told reporters. "My biggest fear was that the whole side of the mountain was going to catch fire."
The call went out around 7:30 p.m.; by the time the first fighters made it through the woods, on foot, from an adjacent log cabin, the cabin on Foley's property was fully engulfed. The woodlot has been logged last year and a lot of scrub brush remained on the hillside; with our recent dry weather, the possibility of the fire spreading was a concern.
Access to the cabin was on a narrow, steep logging road. At one point, one of West Weathersfield's trucks became stuck on that road. Fire hoses were hauled up by hand. All-terrain vehicles (UTVs) from Cavendish and West Windsor arrived on scene and were used to move personnel and equipment. In addition, a tractor from a neighboring farm was borrowed aiding in these efforts. According to Chief Dauphin, over 1800 feet of hose was used to contain the blaze.
Fire companies from West Weathersfield, Ascutney, Springfield, Cavendish, Ludlow, Reading, West Windsor, Windsor, Chester and Claremont NH responded. By 9:30 most of the fire had been contained. The building was a total loss. Only one minor injury was reported, a possible broken toe by a fire fighter slipping into a ditch.
Access to the cabin was on a narrow, steep logging road. At one point, one of West Weathersfield's trucks became stuck on that road. Fire hoses were hauled up by hand. All-terrain vehicles (UTVs) from Cavendish and West Windsor arrived on scene and were used to move personnel and equipment. In addition, a tractor from a neighboring farm was borrowed aiding in these efforts. According to Chief Dauphin, over 1800 feet of hose was used to contain the blaze.
Fire companies from West Weathersfield, Ascutney, Springfield, Cavendish, Ludlow, Reading, West Windsor, Windsor, Chester and Claremont NH responded. By 9:30 most of the fire had been contained. The building was a total loss. Only one minor injury was reported, a possible broken toe by a fire fighter slipping into a ditch.
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Two Alarm Fire Little Ascutney
Old Logging Cabin
Perkinsville, VT November 8, 2015
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