Franklin family loses home to fire while thawing pipes; dogs still missing

A family in Franklin lost their home to a fire on Friday morning while attempting to thaw frozen pipes after several days of freezing temperatures. 

At 10:28 a.m., the Franklin Fire Department received a call reporting the blaze at a three-bedroom home on Smith Hill Road. 

David Hall, the deputy fire chief, said the homeowners were inside with five children, working on the frozen pipes, when they discovered the house was on fire.

But the call for help didn’t come immediately.

“They got everybody out,” Hall said. “They didn’t have good service here, so they had to drive away to call 911.”

While all of the family members escaped the house safely, two dogs are still unaccounted for.

By the time firefighters arrived, the home was fully engulfed in flames.

Crews conducted a defensive operation without entering the structure. They brought the fire under control within 40 minutes but continued to douse the home’s charred remains for hours.

The home’s remote location complicated the department’s response. Since hydrants were about a mile and a half away, fire trucks had to shuttle water in to maintain a steady supply. Deep snow surrounding the property made the effort more difficult.

Hall’s advice to homeowners trying to thaw their pipes is “calling a professional.”

Property records indicate that the house was built in 1900. Now, nothing remains recognizable or intact.

The fire displaced the family, which is in contact with the American Red Cross.

Fire crews from Tilton, Northfield, Belmont, Sanbornton, Andover, Salisbury, Bristol and other departments provided mutual aid during the fire response.

Penacook Rescue and New London covered Franklin’s fire station during the incident.

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