Fire Destroys N.H. Home as Family Jumps to Safety

BELMONT - A mother, father and four children jumped 10 feet from the back deck of their burning home Sunday morning as flames engulfed the 1½-story house on Province Road.

Belmont Fire Chief David Parenti said the homeowners are lucky to have made it out.

"They barely escaped the building," he said.

Town tax maps show the property is owned by David Gilbert.

Two adults staying at the home also managed to climb out through the basement windows, according to Parenti.

The mother and father were out Saturday night, but came home around 11 p.m., when the children reported an odd odor in the home, Parenti said.

The father was unable to find the source of the smell. He then cleaned the ashes out of the wood stove and placed them in a metal can outside the home. When awoken by the fire several hours later, the family jumped from the back deck, Parenti said.

Firefighters were called around 2 a.m. and the fire was already "well involved" at that point, according to Parenti. Firefighters battled the blaze for more than an hour before it was under control. The home was destroyed.

Three of the adults in the house and one of the children were injured. One firefighter suffered a minor injury. They were treated at Lakes Region General Hospital, Parenti said.

The cause of the fire is not considered suspicious at this time, though the investigation remains on going, he said.

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