By Roger Amsden
The Union Leader (Manchester NH)
Copyright 2006 Union Leader Corp.
All Rights Reserved
Alton – The fire that raged through the historic Alton Bay Pavilion yesterday did so much damage that investigators may never know what caused the five-alarm blaze.
“It’s of undetermined origin. And that’s what it will probably be when we end the investigation,” said Michael Stark, an investigator with the New Hampshire Fire Marshal’s Office.
The fire may have been smoldering for over an hour before it was reported at 6:40 a.m. The 78-year-old structure, which hosted the biggest bands of the Big Band era, was being converted to condominiums.
“It’s a total loss, even though some of it is still standing,” Alton Deputy Fire Chief Scott Williams said. “It’s a real shame; what a loss to the community. Bands like Harry James and the Dorsey Brothers used to play there and it was a real part of this town’s history.”
He said the 11,500-square-foot, two-story building was rapidly engulfed in flames.
“We lost the floors very early, so we’re pretty sure it started on the first floor. It had to have been going for some time. But people could have driven right by and not noticed it because the fog was as thick as pea soup this morning,” Williams said.
He said that the fire wasn’t reported until flames started shooting through the newly built cupola at the center of the building.
More than 100 firefighters from 17 communities, some as far away as Allenstown and Rochester, helped fight the stubborn fire, which was compartmentalized by the recent construction of fire walls within the building. Firefighters sawed through the roof of the southern section of the building to vent smoke and heat after the floors collapsed on the lake side of the northern section of the building.
Alton firefighters, using a boat from nearby Gillan Marine, poured a steady stream of water onto the building from Lake Winnipesaukee while four aerial ladder trucks attacked the fire from the land side.
Flames were still shooting through the roof more than three hours after the first firefighters arrived.
Built in 1928, the Pavilion has seen use as a two-story movie theater as well as a dance hall. It was eyed as a home for the New Hampshire Boat Museum in the early 1990s and was briefly revived as a roller skating arena, restaurant and entertainment venue until it closed in 1999.
It was purchased two years ago by Lee Maserian, who used to play pinball games there while growing up. He was converting the building into a seven-unit condominium complex with two small retail stores on the first floor. His mother, who lives across the bay, watched the fire from the living room of her home throughout the morning.
Williams said that work was nearly completed on three of the units and that Maserian was only weeks away from seeking a certificate of occupancy for the units.
The condos were each priced at $482,000, according to real estate Web sites.
Terri Locke of Barnstead, who works for Carpe Diem Construction Inc. of Rochester, lead contractor for the project, said that she saw smoke from the fire as far south as the Alton traffic circle while she was on her way to work this morning.
She said that her worst fears were confirmed when she stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts and was told that it was indeed the Pavilion that was on fire.
“It’s a shame. We were so close to finishing it up,” said Locke as she used a video camera to film the fire.