Police: Fire by arson
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Rutland City firefighters douse a house fire in Rutland on Monday. A state police detective wrote in a press release late Monday, “It is believed the fire was intentionally set.” Vyto Starinskas / Rutland Herald |
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By Tom Mitchell staff writer - Published: October 20, 2009
A landlord, his wife and three tenants in two first and second-floor apartments escaped a fast-moving fire at 16 Cottage St. State fire officials believe the fire was intentionally set early Monday morning.
Rutland City police broke down doors to get the residents safely out of the three-story building as flames shot through the roof.
"We didn't know there was a fire until the cops broke our door down," Charles Doucette, a tenant in a second-floor apartment said as he stood in front of the apartment house.
The building is owned by Joseph Lemmo, who fled one of the bottom-floor apartments with his wife Hildur after they were roused by police, officials said.
"It is believed the fire was intentionally set," State Police Detective Sgt. Jeremy Hill, a state fire marshal said in press release late Monday.
Police arrived at the scene just after 2:32 a.m., broke through the front door and went to each floor to get the residents out, officials said.
Firefighters quickly followed to the scene to initially use their hoses at ground level to start to extinguish flames shooting 30 feet and higher above the home.
The local chapter of the American Red Cross provided the residents with accommodations at the Comfort Inn in Rutland early this morning, officials said. From the outset, the fire seemed to be burning through the third floor and attic.
Rutland City fire officials called Central Vermont Public Service Corp. to cut power to the three-story building and homes nearby.
A 75-foot aerial ladder truck was set on the north side of the burning apartment house and a 102-foot ladder on the street on the south side.
A Pittsford Volunteer Fire Department aerial truck was set up in the back and was shooting water at the fire, as two city aerial trucks stationed on Cottage Street fought it from the front. Firefighters confined the fire to the roof and attic, while protecting nearby homes, officials said.
Rutland Town firefighters were also on the scene and West Rutland firefighters were standing by in the Rutland city fire station, officials said.
"It could have been a lot worse," said Mayor Christopher Louras. He said firefighters performed well in steadily knocking the fire down.
Burning embers drifted onto the roof of a house to the south at 14 Cottage St. and city firefighters were hosing down that house and another at 18 Cottage St., to keep the fire from spreading to either adjacent structure.
Three homes surrounding the apartment house where the fire broke out were also evacuated during the firefight, officials said.
At least 30 firefighters were on the scene at that point, according to Fire Chief Robert L. Schlachter, who said before noon he had not heard about a possible cause of the fire.
A state fire investigator was on the scene at about 9:30 a.m., officials said. Schlachter said "... unfortunately damage to the roof is very extensive." Because the fire started in an empty space, local fire officials said, they called for an investigation. Three of six apartments in the building were occupied, local fire officials said.
The 5,898-square-foot, six-unit structure was built around 1890, and is valued at $181,900, according to the city assessor's office. With the roof and attic completely destroyed, the rest of the apartments sustained heavy water damage, according to Stevens, who estimated the value of the loss at $100,000.
Power was restored to other homes in the northwest part of the city by about 3:30 a.m., officials said. Anyone with information is asked to call the Vermont Arson Tip Award Program at 1-800-32ARSON or Vermont State Police at 773-9101.
Reporter Brent Curtis contributed to this report.
tom.mitchell@rutlandherald.com
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