Feb. 10--STRAFFORD -- A number of people in the Bow Lake community are talking about a weekend fire that destroyed a house owned by Robert Sager, a philanthropist and chairman of Polaroid, and the dramatic rescue that probably saved his life.
Sager was in town for the weekend with his two children, believed to be in their early twenties. They were staying at his house on Long Island within Bow Lake.
At approximately 4:30 a.m. Saturday, fire alarms went off in the house, apparently after a fire in their fireplace got out of control. Sager's children and another person staying at the home woke up and were able to escape the fire and smoke.
Sager, who was trapped on the second floor, refused to jump to the ground.
While 911 was called, someone contacted the home's caretaker. He got out of bed, jumped in his truck and crossed the ice to reach the house. There are no roads or bridges to the island and Sager's family used snowmobiles to get there, according to Sgt. Randy Young of the Strafford Police Department.
The caretaker used a ladder to climb up to the second story window, which Young described as being "pretty high up" and rescued the millionaire.
"It was a miracle that they called his caretaker in the process of calling 911," Young said. "I don't doubt for a second this man saved that guy's life."
By the time rescue crews arrived at the scene, Sager and his family were already on their way back to shore in the caretaker's truck. Sager was transported to Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester where he was treated for minor smoke inhalation.
Both young men were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Since they left the house with no socks or shoes there was a concern about the cuts they had on their feet and the possibility of frostbite, Young said.
Capt. David Hartranft of the Strafford Fire Department said by the time they arrived both floors of the house were fully involved.
"I did a 360 of the building and determined there was nothing we were going to be able to do," Hartranft said. Firetrucks could not cross the ice due to their weight so crews used six-wheel John Deere Gators to transport a portable pump with a water tank to the island.
Hartranft said they cut holes in the ice, which was almost two feet thick in some places, and started pumping water so they could stop the fire from spreading on the island, which has two other structures on it.
Dana Crickard, a Strafford resident who works at Sheilah's Deli and Market, said he walked out to the island with his girlfriend Sunday morning. He said the structure's steel frame is there, but little else remained. Crickard heard details of the fire when he got to work Saturday.
The fire is still under investigation.
Copyright 2014 - Foster's Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H.
