Monday night, Windham Fire/Rescue and Police responded to a mysterious fire at a residence on Windham Center Road.
Sparked from an unknown point of origin, flames destroyed the living room of Peter and Alice Archer’s residence at 330 Windham Center Road. The fire was contained and the Fire Marshal’s office is now investigating the circumstances surrounding the “suspicious” fire.
At 5:30 p.m., a Windham rescue worker, driving to the Windham Public Safety Building for training, spotted the fire through the front window of the house. She called in the fire as did a female driver who stopped at a neighbor’s house and asked to use the phone to alert the fire department.
Though the fire was contained, Fire Chief Charlie Hammond estimates fire and smoke damage at $8,000 to $10,000. Hammond said he requested the assistance of the State Fire Marshal’s office due to a previous “problem” at the residence a week earlier. The possibility of arson has not been ruled out, Hammond said.
To further the case for arson, Windham police discovered snow footprints leading to the back door of the house, but cast molding of the footprints proved “unhelpful” in determining a suspect, said Lt. David DeGruchy.
Investigating Fire Marshal Richard Shepard is currently conducting interviews, though declined to comment on the nature of those interviews.
No one was home at the time of the incident. The house is currently for sale.
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