Source: Sunday Republican (Springfield, MA)
GOSHEN, MA – Fire destroyed a home at 44 Fuller St. Friday night and killed three dogs while the owners were at a restaurant a few miles away, according to fire officials.
Fire Chief Francis Dresser said the house, owned by Bryan Clarke who also owns a bait shop in Williamsburg, was totally engulfed in flames by the time firefighters responded to an alarm sometime after 7 p.m. Dresser said that Clarke and his wife were having dinner at the Spruce Corner Restaurant when the fire was reported. They had left home only about 30 minutes before, he said.
The couple’s two children were not home at the time of the fire, the chief said, but the blaze killed three of Clarke’s dogs. Several others that were penned up outside were rescued, Dresser said.
State fire inspectors were trying to determine the cause of the fire yesterday. Dresser said it apparently started in the cellar stairway, but officials were not able to determine whether the fire was of suspicious origin. Clarke was well insured and plans to rebuild, according to Dresser.