(This story by Chris Mays was published in the Brattleboro Reformer on Dec. 18, 2017.)
[B]ROOKLINE — A two-alarm fire that destroyed a two-story log cabin early Sunday morning claimed the life of one of the cabin’s occupants, state fire investigators said.
Elizabeth Cutts, 32, of Brookline, died in the fire at 45 Papoose Lane, Vermont State Police Detective Sgt. Eric Albright said on Sunday. She was one of three people inside the cabin.
Bruce and Sally Cutts, the owners, were airlifted and hospitalized at Massachusetts General Hospital for burn injuries. They were, “as far as we can tell, in stable condition,” Albright said.
New Brook Fire Chief Todd Lawley said the call came in Sunday at 1:55 a.m. and the fire had already burned through the roof by the time crews arrived on scene. It took an hour to 90 minutes to get the fire under control and no firefighters were hurt in the process.
“We had a hard time with water supply because of the narrowness of the road,” said Lawley.
The cold temperatures also presented challenges. Trucks were sent back to stations to thaw out.
Crews took care to keep flames away from a 500-gallon propane tank behind the cabin. A barn close to the cabin caught on fire and animals inside — including a pony and goats — were safely moved to a house up the road.
Fire departments from West Dummerston, Townshend, East Dover, Brattleboro, Wardsboro, Winhall and Saxtons River responded to the scene. Putney and Jamaica covered the New Brook station. West Dover covered Townshend. Putney came to help with the barn fire later.
“We’re running tankers back and forth now to get it all wet down and good,” Lawley said. “We definitely appreciate all the help we got from mutual aid companies. We couldn’t do it without them.
Investigators are still looking into the cause and origin of the fire. Anyone with information is asked to call Albright at 802-722-4600.
