Fire Claims Life of Treasurer's Pet

[Editor's note: The original 7:37 a.m. story can be found .]

A family's beloved cat died in a one-alarm fire at 20 Robin Lane in Hampton early Thursday morning, a fire that officials said was caused by an undetermined electrical problem.

Firefighters were alerted to the fire at the at about 5:12 a.m.

No one was home at the time because the owners — Hampton Town Treasurer Ellen Lavin and her husband — were on vacation, although the couple's daughter, Emily Lavin, 28, of Portsmouth, said their cat, Sid, was unable to escape the house, which was badly burned in the fire.

"He was the first thing they asked about," said Lavin, who said her parents would fly back from vacation Thursday night, two days ahead of schedule. "Thank God no one was in there. I'm glad no one died, except the poor kitty died. Poor thing."

Prevention Officer Scott Steele said the cause of the fire is officially undetermined, although he said he and crews were able to pinpoint the issue as an electrical problem because there was "heavy charring above and adjacent to the electrical panel" and near the exterior "electrical service dropdown."

Steele said the investigation is closed and said it might never be possible to determine exactly what caused the electrical failure.

"We don't know what failed specifically in terms of the electrical service," he said. "It's just one of those things. Electrical is tricky. I don't think anyone can ever truly pinpoint it. There are so many things that can go wrong with electrical systems."

The fire was reported after a newspaper delivery man on his usual Thursday morning route noticed heavy fire coming out of the home's roof, according to Lanvin and Steele.

The fire spread from the basement through the middle of the home and up into the second story. Two upstairs bedrooms bedrooms and several downstairs areas were damaged due to the fire and smoke, said Steele.

Steele said the fire was knocked down by 5:38 a.m. Thursday, and crews cleared the scene at 7:57 a.m.

Lavin said she was "horrified" by the extent of the damage, which Steele roughly estimated at between $40,000 and $50,000.

"Outside it looks great, but inside is a completely different story," she said, adding that the home will be boarded and unihabitable for the near future.

Despite the damage, Lavin said there are positive things about the fire, like knowing that her parents weren't sleeping in the house at the time of the fire and knowing that firefighters worked quickly and efficiently to save the home.

"I'm just grateful they weren't home," she said, talking about her parents. "It's very, very damaged, but I guess it could be worse... Things can really only go up. We can only go up from here."

Steele also credited the quick work of his department and the other departments that responded as a part of the mutual aid system, including: , Seabrook, Rye, Portsmouth and Hampton Falls.

Lavin said her parents will stay with family while they work to repair the home, and Steele said he hopes this will help them through the trying time.

"I hope they have family around in the area that can help them through the holidays, and I hope everything works out," said Steele. "It's unfortunate. I feel very badly for the family. That's not something anyone wants to come home to."

The Exeter Fire Department, as well as departments from Amesbury and Salisbury, Mass., provided station coverage during the call. The also assisted on the scene, which temporarily closed the dead-end road.