Cat saves family in Shutesbury house fire started by Christmas tree
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SHUTESBURY - It was the growl of a cat named Spooky that alerted Sinneh Rose to the fire that ravaged her home.
Rose said that she and her two daughters had gone to bed about 9 p.m. Sunday. About two hours later, Spooky came into the bedroom, growling and crying, waking her up.
It was then she saw the flames from the living room.
Fire Chief Walter Tibbetts said the blaze at 31 Merrill Drive started when a Christmas tree caught fire.
Based on what Rose told him and evidence inside the house, he said, the tree was about two feet from the fireplace.
"That's way too close," he said. "It appears that the heat from the fire ignited the tree."
Rose said that by the time she realized what was going on, the fire already had gained significant traction. She got her daughters, Harmony, 8, and Angelica, 5, out of the house and ran back in a vain attempt to rescue Spooky and two other cats, which died in the blaze.
Rose said that the smoke was already too thick inside the house to search for anything. She managed to grab a few personal items such as her keys and pocketbook before dashing back out.
Shutesbury firefighters arrived 13 minutes after a call came in to the emergency dispatcher at 10:26 p.m., said Tibbetts. They were later assisted by firefighters from Amherst, Leverett, Pelham, Montague, New Salem and Wendell.
When Tibbetts got to the scene, he said, there was an orange glow in the windows and smoke was pouring out of the eaves of the house. Firefighters extinguished the blaze by 10:52 and pulled down the ceiling in the living room to check for spreading of the fire to the attic, he said.
The house is uninhabitable after sustaining heavy heat and smoke damage, and will probably have to be gutted and rebuilt, Tibbetts said. Some windows in the house cracked because of the heat, he said.
Rose and her family have been renting the house, which, according to the Franklin County Registry of Deeds, is owned by Jody K. Asselin of Shutesbury.
A disaster action team from the American Red Cross' Pioneer Valley chapter also responded to the fire and provided coffee and snacks to the firefighters, said Dawn Leaks, director of communication and special events.
This week, screen windows lay in the front yard, behind a section roped off by yellow caution tape. The left side of the front of the house was covered by a blue plastic tarp, and strewn in front of it were charred wooden planks, the blackened remains of a cloth doll, burned and shattered chairs, singed insulation and a ceramic vase.
According to firefighters, flame damage accounted for about 40 percent of the damage inside, but there was significant heat and smoke damage throughout.
Rose, who makes therapeutic dolls for children's play therapy and writes children's books, said she lost most of her possessions, including her tools, one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture that she had collected and irreplaceable photos. She said that she and her daughters are temporarily staying with her mother in Greenfield.
Holiday hazard
The blaze was a grim reminder of the hazards of holiday decorations. During last year's holiday season, there were 15,670 structure fires related to Christmas trees, decorative lights and candles, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Amherst Fire Chief Tim Nelson, who was also on the scene Sunday night, said it's important to keep Christmas trees well-watered so they don't dry out and become flammable.
"You should keep the bucket full," he said. "And before you put on lights, check the wiring to make sure there are no cracks or breaks. Keep the tree away from a fireplace or wood stove, and don't use candles on the tree. Unplug the lights before you go to bed."
The National Fire Protection Association also recommends not overloading electrical outlets, and connecting lights to an extension cord before plugging the cord into an outlet. It also says that fireplaces and space heaters should not be left unattended.
Rose said that though they are resilient, her daughters are "freaking out" a little following the fire. She said she's hoping there will be some way to provide them with a Christmas celebration, in spite of everything.
Spooky once belonged to the children's nanny, who died years ago. "God rest her little feline soul," Rose said.
