A pre-dawn fire destroyed Kimball Castle in Gilford, New Hampshire, with calls beginning around 3 a.m. Fire crews found the castle fully involved and the flames spread into surrounding brush, burning roughly two acres. Firefighters escalated to a second alarm as the roof and floors collapsed and embers remained in the cellar. Route 11 was temporarily closed while crews worked. Local police and the state fire marshal's office are seeking surveillance, trail camera, and cellphone footage and any information about suspicious persons or vehicles to assist the investigation. The structure has been ordered taken down; the castle was listed on the National Register in 1982.
According to the station, firefighters starting receiving calls about a fire in the town around 3 a.m., with the reports initially indicating there was a large brush fire on the side of Route 11 or Lakeshore Drive. Crews found the fire at the castle, at 59 Lockes Hill Road, but the flames quickly spread to the surrounding brush, burning about 2-acres, according to WMUR.
"We actually went to a second alarm for the building fire," Carrier told the station. "It was a fully involved building. The roof had collapsed and the floors were beginning to collapse, and it was beginning to spread to the brush around the building." Around 8 a.m., Gilford police warned residents that Route 11 was temporarily shut down as firefighters worked the fire.
The department said it, along with the state fire marshal's office, is searching for any video or photos from surveillance cameras, trail cameras, or cell phones related to the fire. "Anyone with footage of the fire, suspicious persons, and/or suspicious vehicles in the immediate area is asked to submit them to aid in this investigation," the department said. The building has been ordered to be taken down as a result of the "instability and fire damage," Carrier told WMUR. Kimball Castle was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
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