Early morning fire ruins Derry factory

DERRY - Bob Hersey woke up at 4:30 a.m. Friday to the sound of fire trucks racing to fight a blaze at his woodworking business next door.

"It wasn't how I was expecting to start the day," he said.

Crews from 11 towns fought the fire that destroyed the showroom and shop of Hersey's Kindelan Woodworking business at 179 Rockingham Road, ruining the furniture and cabinetry he displays, pieces his staff was working on and equipment used to make the furniture. No one was in the building at the time of the fire.

Hersey, who lives next door to his shop, looked on as firefighters tried to keep the flames from spreading to the smaller building behind the main structure, where employees finish the furniture, and the two neighboring car dealerships.

The Kindelan building, located about a mile from the Windham town line, was filled with furniture, Hersey said, but he didn't have any idea yesterday of the estimated value of the items lost to the fire. He said he won't know the total cost of damages until next week, but his insurance company told him he will be covered for his losses.

Those customers whose furniture and cabinetry were already finished should be fine, Hersey said. Those items are kept in the finishing building, which was not involved in the fire.

This is the second time in the last decade that the woodworking business has been struck by fire. In 1999, before Hersey bought the business, a fire destroyed the old finishing building. In fact, Hersey was the one who called 911 to report that fire after his dog Smokey alerted him to the blaze.

Though the finishing building had to be replaced, Hersey said the 1999 fire wasn't as bad as the one that hit the main building yesterday.

"This one is a total loss," he said.

When firefighters arrived at the woodworking shop yesterday morning, the building was engulfed and flames were shooting through the roof, according to Battalion Chief David Hoffman. He said his goal was to keep the fire from spreading to the propane tanks next to the building, the buildings on either side and the finishing building at the back of Kindelan.

The firefighters were successful in containing the fire, Hoffman said, noting that only one taillight on a used car was damaged.

It took about an hour to get the fire under control, according to Michael Scott, Derry's director of fire prevention and investigation. Though the fire was out by 5:48 a.m., it smoldered throughout the morning and firefighters remained on the scene for hours putting foam on the building's charred remains to keep it from flaring up again.

The fire investigators from Derry and the state fire marshal's office determined the fire started on the second floor and was apparently accidental, though the final cause is still under investigation, Scott said.

Fire crews came from Derry, Salem, Manchester, Windham, Londonderry and Hudson. Additionally, tankers brought water from Chester, Hampstead, Auburn, Atkinson and Windham. Firefighters from Raymond, Pelham, Hampstead and Hooksett provided station coverage.

Rockingham Road was closed between Lawrence and Kilrea roads for about three hours yesterday morning, according to Battalion Chief Michael Gagnon.