Dogs rouse homeowners during fire

By NORA DOYLE-BURR

Valley News Staff Writer

Published: 03-21-2022 9:37 PM

CANAAN — A two-alarm fire on Bruce Road on Sunday morning destroyed a garage, home and two stock cars, their owner said.

The property, located at 19 Bruce Road, is owned by Robbie Streeter and valued at $194,800, including $100,000 for the buildings, according to Canaan property records.

Reached by phone on Monday, Streeter said that he and his wife, Jane-Marie, were asleep when the fire began on Sunday morning at about 7 a.m. He credited their dogs, a bulldog named Nora and a boxer mix named Gabby with waking them up in time to get out safely.

“We’ve got some good dogs,” he said. They were “making some noise (and) got us up.”

Unfortunately, the buildings could not be saved.

“It’s a total loss,” Streeter said of the modular home and adjacent shop, as well as two new stock cars that were ready for the upcoming racing season, which begins in a few weeks.

Streeter, who has lived at 19 Bruce Road for 20 years, owns a race team, Streeter Motorsports, and a residential construction company called Streeter Construction. He, his best friend and his college-age son race the cars.

For now, the Streeters and their dogs are staying at a hotel, the cost of which is covered by the insurance company. Though the property is insured, Streeter said he doesn’t think insurance will cover the cost of rebuilding.

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“I can’t even get the house for that,” he said of the appraised value. “Definitely not the garage in that number.”

The Canaan Fire Department, Canaan EMS, the Canaan Police Department and fire departments from Lebanon, Grafton and Enfield responded to the 911 call, which came in at 7:16 a.m. on Sunday, according to a news release from the Canaan Fire Department. Additionally, the Rumney (N.H.) Fire Department covered the Canaan station; the Danbury (N.H.) Fire Department covered the Canaan station; and the Springfield (N.H.) Fire Department covered the Enfield station. Liberty Utilities shut off power to the building.

During the course of the fire, a welding tank exploded, Streeter said. But the explosion did not cause the fire, he said. The fire department’s release said the cause of the fire was undetermined, but Streeter said he thinks it was an electrical fire that started in the main panel.

Streeter credited fire fighters with saving his family’s belongings in two-thirds of the house and preventing the fire from spreading further.

The fire was extinguished by noon. It took approximately 35,000 gallons of water from the hydrant system to put it out.

On Sunday afternoon, the town of Canaan alerted residents to turbid, brown water in the water lines due to “a major fire.” The water was still safe and was clearing up, the message from the town said.

Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.

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