Construction issue called cause of Amherst fire

Thursday, January 10, 2013

AMHERST – An early morning New Year’s Day fire at a house on Christian Hill Road was caused by improper construction, according to Fire Chief Mark Boynton.

“There was no air space between the wall and the fireplace,” he said.

The one-alarm fire at 28 Christian Hill Road caused fire, smoke and water damage. Firefighters responded just before 3 a.m. after the fire had spread from the fireplace to the first floor wall and into the attic.

The fire was quickly extinguished and controlled after about an hour.

The house sustained considerable fire, smoke and water damage to the first floor, and the first-floor shower had to be ripped out, said the chief, who said last week he thinks the residents are back in the house.

The house at 28 Christian Hill Road is listed to Matthew Redmond.

Milford Fire Department was at the scene to assist in checking the fire extension in the attic, and the Merrimack Fire Department covered the Amherst Central fire station while Amherst crews extinguished and dug out the fire in the first floor wall.