Firefighters from Woodstock and Hartland work through night to contain blaze
A historic home in Woodstock was partially destroyed after a fire ripped through the building on Monday, Dec. 15.
The Woodstock Fire Department was called out around 7 p.m. to the 127-year-old Baird-Mair home at the corner of St. John and Grover Streets.
Fire Chief Harold McLellan says he had “pretty much the whole department” fighting the fire. The Hartland Fire Department was called in for mutual aid, bringing their ladder truck and extra crew.
McLellan said firefighters were on scene until 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, working to tame the fire.
“It was quite the challenge,” said McLellan. “The three-story home was involved within the building, so it wasn’t an easy task to fight.”
There were no injuries, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The home at 100 St. John Street, known as the Baird-Mair House, is part of the Woodstock Heritage Walking Tour.
The house was first owned by Henry Paxton Baird, who built the house in 1898. He worked with a Boston architect to plan the house. The design was inspired by the High Victorian style, featuring elaborate shapes, Italianate roofs and bays, Greek Revival pediments, and Grecian dentils.
Baird eventually sold the house to E.W. Mair in 1910, and it has been home to many over the decades.
