HOOKSETT, N.H.
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A Hooksett homeowner said Tuesday he thinks one of his goats might have started a fire that destroyed his barn and killed nine pigs and 12 chickens.
The fire at 86 Chester Turnpike was reported Monday about 11:30 a.m. It only took firefighters about 20 minutes to get the fire under control, but they were unable to save the barn or the animals inside.
Officials said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but homeowner Jeff Allard said he had a heat lamp in the barn to keep some chicks warm, and he thinks a goat might have knocked the lamp over.
Allard said one of his neighbors who was passing by saw and reported the fire. Allard said the neighbor got his wife and dogs out of the home safely.
"My wife, being disabled, would not have really known that fire was there," Allard said. "And it would have taken longer for the fire department to show up."
The heat from the fire melted some of the siding on his house, but Allard said the firefighters did a great job keeping the fire from his home.
Not all the animals were in the barn at the time. A cow, five pigs, five goats and about 10 chickens were outside at the time.
Allard said he hopes to rebuild the barn, but his priority now is finding homes for the surviving animals.
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