Staff Writer

» Fire leaves towns with overtime costs
» Mutual aid system had bases covered
» Firefighters battle relentless six-alarm blaze levels plaza building, businesses
» Antique shop owners had items from many lifetimes
» Fire destroys businesses at shopping strip in Belmont
» Click for more fire photos

BELMONT — A large heap of charred and twisted metal is all that remains of a plaza along Route 3/11 that was home to a book and magazine store, a restaurant and an antique store, among other businesses. By mid-afternoon on Wednesday, firefighters were still on the scene dousing the smoldering remains with water. The bitterly cold temperatures caused the water to freeze, adding a glossy look to the rubble.

John Southwell, an investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s Office, said investigators are a long way from finding the cause of the fire, though they have determined that it was not suspicious.

"Basically we’re interviewing different businesses as far as coming and goings, who was here, not here, the history of individual stores, getting statements from police and fire officials who were the first on scene," he said.

He would not say where the fire originated, but did say investigators are focusing on the north end of the building.

On the scene Tuesday night, officials said the smoke alarm in the book and magazine store "Read All About It" was the first to go off and, when police arrived on scene, they noticed heavy smoke billowing out of the roof.

State Representative John Thomas said he was at the fire until sometime between midnight and 2 a.m. and returned the following morning for a couple of hours to talk to the business owners.

Because of the types of businesses in the building, some of the store owners were without insurance, he said.

"We’re talking mom-and-pop stores, and the cost for insurance is so extreme," explained Thomas. "At least three owners didn’t have insurance. They lost everything. Right now they’re just kind of sitting back and taking breaths. That’s about all they can do."

Thomas said already the townspeople have started rallying aid for the business owners, all of whom live in the Lakes Region. He said Joe Holiday, owner of Top of the Town Restaurant, provided a free lunch for the owners on Thursday.

"People are starting to rally," continued Thomas. "The community has already started rallying. There’s a lot of people out there just trying to help."

The Belmont Police Explorers, who used the building’s Galaxy Gym as a training facility, have started searching for a new location for the gym, he said.

The building was assessed with a value of $1,053,100 in 2004. Ron Mitchell, who is a long time resident of the area and a member of the town Budget Committee, said that, before the building was constructed, the site was nothing more than a steep slope.

"It wasn’t anything," he said. "When they put [the plazas] in, they cut the slope back. They removed thousands of yards of material."

The plaza buildings were constructed in the 1970s and 1980s, Mitchell said, after Ray Baron purchased the land and opened Baron’s Major Brands store.

"He started with that and kept expanding," he continued. "They just kept adding on. The attic was the length of the building and it had a shingled roof. On top of that someone put a metal roof at a later date. When you have an open attic the whole length of the building, you have a silo. The cellar [which also runs the entire length of the building] and the attic acted in the same way. It was just a tunnel [for the flames] to move through."

The fire moved from the bookstore to completely engulf Country Tyme Antiques and Collectibles, Studio Lighting (a Tiffany Light Factory Outlet), the Eggcellent Restaurant, Galaxy Gym and Nails 2000.

"It’s certainly a big loss to the community. I hate to see anyone lose their business. It’s a pretty big loss and insurance never covers everything, " said Mitchell.

Not only were the businesses lost, but the town lost close to $1 million dollars in tax base, noted Thomas.

A former volunteer firefighter, Mitchell said he went to the scene after a budget meeting that night to help out.

Firefighters needed someone to redirect traffic so they could get hose lines from Lake Winnisquam to the plaza, and Mitchell accepted the task.

"I parked my car at the end of Union Road and basically rerouted traffic up Union Road and across Ladd Hill to go back to Tilton," he said.

The road remained closed through the rest of the night and into the morning. It finally opened to one traffic lane about 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

"It’s a big impact to people losing their job and their business. It’s really sad," he said.

Both Thomas and Mitchell praised the firefighters for the way the situation was handled.