Franklin fire destroys 115-year-old home

FRANKLIN – A local couple escaped unharmed, but their house is considered a complete loss after it caught fire early Wednesday, according to the local fire chief.

The fire, reported at 6:30 a.m., woke up Linda and Scott Griffin as they slept in a second-story bedroom of their Hog Bay Road home, Franklin Fire Chief Robert Grindle said Wednesday.

The couple and their animals, which include cats, dogs, pigs and birds, all were able to get out of the house without injury, he said.

“It looks like it was all electrical,” Grindle said of the fire. He said the blaze appeared to have started in the Griffins’ bedroom. Two other bedrooms and a bathroom also are on the second floor of the home, he said.

The 115-year-old house was insured but likely will not be salvaged, the fire chief said.

“It’s pretty much gone,” Grindle said. “They’ll probably take that right down and fill in the hole.”

The local Red Cross chapter was providing shelter for the Griffins, while relatives and neighbors had made arrangements to take care of their animals, he said.

The blaze took roughly one hour to get under control and approximately four hours to extinguish, according to Grindle. Firefighters from the neighboring towns of Eastbrook, Hancock, Sorrento, and Sullivan assisted local firefighters, as did medical personnel from County Ambulance, he said.