WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Firefighters from around the Upper Valley worked well into Thursday night to battle a major fire at Frederick Johnson Pianos in White River Junction.
The blaze was reported in the building’s basement shortly after 10 p.m. and slowly spread its way through the structure, illuminating the night sky and filling the Route 5 corridor with thick, dark smoke.
Because of heavy fire conditions, crews were forced to fight the blaze solely from the outside of the building. Firefighters had difficulty accessing the source of the fire.
The smoke grew, eventually consuming the entire building before bursts of orange flames shot out from portions of the structure.
Firefighters worked for hours to put out the blaze, which was still burning Friday morning.
On Friday, Detective Sgt. Tom Williams, a fire investigator for the Vermont State Police, said the fire was accidental and related to the use of space heaters.
In an interview, Williams said the fire was caused by the use of a long extension cord, the majority of which was left in a pile, which increases the resistance and allows heat to build up. The problem was exacerbated, he said, because it was being used to conduct electricity to two space heaters in the unheated garage, which overtaxed the cord’s capacity.
Frederick Johnson Pianos, founded in 1930, moved from Norwich to White River Junction in 1972, according to the company’s website, and keeps an inventory of “close to 100 pianos.”
Assessing records say the wood-frame building, built in 1970, is nearly 8,000 square feet, split between the first floor and basement, plus a 1,500-square-foot warehouse. It was most recently assessed at about $353,000.
Longtime co-owner and president Dale Howe, a well-known piano tuner in the Upper Valley, died in October; the other co-owner is Richard Johnson. According to the website, the business was for sale.
A woman representing the store was on scene Thursday night but declined to comment when approached by a reporter.
The Upper Valley has seen a string of fires this week, including in Hartland, Ascutney and Etna.
Temperatures in White River Junction dipped into the low 20s overnight.
