JAFFREY, N.H. --
A Jaffrey fire lieutenant was shocked this week to hear his own address called out by dispatch as the scene of a house fire.
Lt. David Kemp was working at his other job as a city mechanic when the call came. He said it was the first time in the decades he has been a firefighter and EMT that he didn't know what to do.
"Do you make the decision to go to the fire station where you want to go or do you go to your own house, and I had to make the call to go home rather than the station," he said.
When he arrived at his Charlonne Street home, he found everyone already outside safely. Fire officials said there's an understanding that if a fire is too personal, you don't go in, and Kemp stood aside as his co-workers went to work.
"I probably wouldn't have been a very effective firefighter, and I had to admit that," he said.
This wasn't the first time the family has had to clean up a fire. Around the corner from Kemp's street is River Street and the home of his daughter. Her house caught fire in January, and since then, she has been living with Kemp.
Kemp said the family has had enough.
"It's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, but they tell me if it doesn't kill you, it makes you tougher," he said.
Kemp thanked his fellow firefighters, who have now gotten his family through two difficult days.
"Absolutely," he said. "They're my guys. They're my brothers."
The fire chief said the fire was likely caused by an electrical malfunction. The lower level of the house is livable while the upstairs apartment is rebuilt.
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