Fire chars four Linderhof units; cause not suspicious

While the exact cause of Tuesday afternoon's fire in Linderhof that damaged four chalets is still unknown the state fire marshal has ruled the fire non-suspicious and determined it started around a fireplace. No one was injured in the blaze."The fire marshal was on the scene (Wednesday) morning," Pat Roberts, fire chief, said, "and he determined the fire started in the chimney fireplace area in one of the lower units. At this point it's not suspicious and I never thought it was."Roberts said his department was toned out Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. to a structure fire at The Summit of Linderhof. Jackson and North Conway fire departments also responded. "We had a very good response," he said. "Thank goodness for mutual aid, it really helps."Roberts said firefighters arrived to find the four unit (two upper chalets and two below) fully engulfed. "There was very heavy smoke and flames coming out of both ends of the building," he said. "There was very heavy fire to the point where I was concerned, with the way the wind was blowing, we might also have a forest fire on our hands. Fortunately that never happened."According to Roberts the fire broke out in one of the ground level chalets owned by J. Loew and his wife, who was home at the time and is the lone year-round resident in the four units. Loew's wife was the one who reported the fire. With a large breezeway separating the four chalets, Roberts said it created a problem with fire spreading rapidly. "The prevailing wind comes from the west northwest," he said. "It didn't help us it got hot in a hurry. The guys really did a nice job. Other than the holes in the roof, to ventilate the heat and flames, the building itself really doesn't look that bad but there was damage in all four units and significant damage in two of those."Firefighters, using the new ladder truck (formerly owned by North Conway Fire Department), just put into service last Thursday, were able to get onto the roof of the structure to vent it. "We had it under control pretty quickly," Roberts said, "but it took a long time to overhaul all of the hot spots."Fire crews were on the scene until about 10:30 p.m. Roberts said he and other firefighters wanted to thank Rose Roberts, Tracy Bennett, Ruthie Chick and Larry Roberts for delivering food and beverages that evening. Roberts said Mount Washington Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross also responded to the scene. "I asked the Loews if they needed any assistance and they said they were all set," he said. "The couple did have two cats in the home and both made it out. There were no injuries that I'm aware of."Bartlett police along with Bartlett Jackson Ambulance also turned out. The top portion of The Summit road was closed to traffic for a few hours.In other news, Bartlett Fire Department, located in Glen, will be the site for a Red Cross blood drive Thursday from noon to 5 p.m."Come on in and stick out an arm," Roberts said, smiling. "We certainly want to encourage people to help a great cause."