A historic Peterborough landmark was destroyed by fire on the night of Monday February 14, 2005. Known by locals as "The Common," the grand home served as a private residence for the last several years. When firefighters arrived on the scene at around 10:30 Monday night, it was already deemed a total loss.
The first alarm was struck at 10:18 Monday night. The call was made for a second alarm as the first unit arrived on the scene, and it was later upgraded to a third alarm fire. Flames could be seen from neighboring towns and an orange glow lit up the skies around much of Peterborough. "The building was deemed a total loss upon arrival of the first unit," reported Peterborough Chief Joesph Lenox. "It was impossible to conduct an aggressive interior attack. We also faced challenges with water supply because of the length of the driveway and the amount of water needed to suppress the fire. The troops did a great job despite this," Lenox said.
Peterborough's Engine 2 doused flames from the south side of the home with a deck gun. Peterborough's Ladder 1 kept the north end of the structure under control, applying a master stream from the top of the ladder. Peterborough's Engine 1 and Tanker 1 provided water supply and the six wheeler ran supplies up and down the long, icy driveway. A Peterborough ambulance stood by for rehab. Firefighters from seven area communities helped to fight the blaze. Units from surrounding towns were staged at the intersection of Cheney Avenue and Old Street Road, awaiting further instruction. Units from Temple, Meadowood, Hancock, and Keene covered the Peterborough station. While covering the station, Temple's engine and Peterborough's second ambulance responded to a motor vehicle accident on route 101 east in Peterborough.
Unfortunately, due to the age of the home, there was no sprinkler system in place to suppress the flames at an earlier stage. There was no one home at the time of the fire. There were no injuries reported at the scene. The fire was considered knocked down at approximately 1:30 am on Tuesday, at which time extensive overhaul began. It is expected that overhaul will continue for the next 6 to 10 hours. The state Fire Marshal's office will be on the scene in the morning to begin investigation. According to Chief Lenox, there is no suspicion of foul play at this time.
