Union-News (Springfield, MA)
Author: RICHARD NADOLSKI
GOSHEN, MA – A fire that started in a kitchen wood stove caused heavy heat and smoke damage to a house on South Main Street yesterday morning and killed three pets, fire officials said.
Fire Chief Francis Dresser traced the fire’s origins to a smoke pipe at the house occupied by Norman and Jean Hathaway at South Main and South Chesterfield roads.
When firefighters arrived, they found flames shooting out of a kitchen window in the one-story, wood frame bungalow, Dresser said.
“It blew the kitchen window just as we got there,” he said.
The fire was discovered around 9:30 a.m. by an employee of Bisbee Brothers Lumber of Chesterfield, who was making a delivery nearby. He saw flames shooting out of the roof and Dresser said that meant the fire had been burning about a half hour before it was discovered.
Up to 30 firefighters responded to the blaze, including volunteers from the neighboring towns of Williamsburg, Chesterfield and Cummington. Williamsburg sent three fire trucks while Chesterfield sent two and Goshen had three, Dresser said.
Firefighters were able to get the fire under control within a few minutes but were not able to fully extinguish it until they had vented sections of the roof. Three layers of roofing made of wood shingle, corrugated metal and asphalt shingle contributed to the problem as flames got between the layers, Dresser said.
Neither of the residents was home at the time of the fire, but their two dogs and a cat were overcome by smoke. Their bodies were removed from the scene by firefighters.
The building used to be one of the little red school houses in town, Dresser said. Years ago, it was converted into a house and an addition, which contained the kitchen, was built several years ago.
The chief declined to give an estimate of the damage, but said there was extensive smoke and heat damage throughout the house.
The Rev. Robert Szafran of the Goshen Congregational Church said the Hathaways have been given shelter by town residents Richard and Arlene Harry of Main Street.
Norman Hathaway is a security guard and a constable and part-time police officer in town. His wife works for the Finck Insurance Agency in Florence.