HOUSE FIRE BEING PROBED: Accelerant-sniffing dog brought in to Randolph site

After fire turned it into a burned-out shell, the historic house at 365 N. Main St. in Randolph was demolished on Saturday. (DEBEE TLUMACKI/The Patriot Ledger)

By FRED HANSON
The Patriot Ledger

RANDOLPH - Fire officials are looking for the cause of a blaze that destroyed a 19th-century house on North Main Street Saturday afternoon.

‘‘The fire is still under investigation,’’ Fire Chief Charles Foley said on Sunday. ‘‘We don’t have a cause at this time.’’

The state fire marshal’s office is working with Randolph Fire Capt. Richard Donovan on the investigation. A dog trained to detect the use of accelerants was brought in to search portions of the single-family house at 365 N. Main St.

The two-story structure was demolished Saturday evening after it was declared structurally unsafe by Local Inspector George Fabrizio of the town’s building department, Foley said.

A neighbor reported the fire on the town’s 911 system at 12:57 p.m. Saturday, the chief said.

Foley was a few blocks away when the fire was reported and arrived before the first engines reached the scene.

‘‘There was extensive overlapping fire at the rear of the house, and there was smoke pouring out of the eaves of the roof,’’ Foley said. ‘‘It was well involved before fire companies got there. We were playing catch-up.’’

The fire was able to spread as quickly as it did because of the ‘‘balloon construction’’ of the house, in which the framing leaves ‘‘wide-open spaces’’ and a clear path to move up between the exterior and interior walls, Foley said. This kind of framing was common in 1871, when the house was built.

No one was inside the house at the time of the fire, Foley said.

Firefighters were able to fight the fire from inside the house for a while but had to fall back into a defensive operation after about a half-hour, Foley said.

At one point, the brick chimney of the house collapsed.

‘‘There was a loud bang and the chimney toppled from the top down, with bricks tumbling down the roof,’’ Foley said.

Firefighter Kerry Young was injured when he was struck by the falling debris. He taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was treated and released, the chief said.

The fire grew to four alarms, with firefighters from Avon, Braintree, Brockton, Canton, Holbrook, Quincy and Foxboro responding. The Randolph stations were covered by firefighters from Norwood and Foxboro.

‘‘The firefighters did an excellent job with the challenge they were presented,’’ Foley said. ‘‘They had their hands full when they got there.’’

Capt. Donovan said the fire began on the back porch.

He said the property is owned by 365 Realty Trust, and the trustees are two children of Robert Hoke, who died last year. At least three people were living in the house, Donovan said.

The historical commission marker on the property said the house was built by George French, a member of one of the town’s most prominent families at the time.

Fred Hanson may be reached at fhanson@ledger.com .

Copyright 2008 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Monday, January 07, 2008