Fire destroys New Berlin home

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February 4, 2012

By Mark Boshnack Staff Writer The Daily Star Sat Feb 04, 2012, 02:30 AM EST

NEW BERLIN -- A New Berlin couple expressed thanks Friday for the support they have received from the community as they seek to rebuild from a fire. The home of Matthew Crippen and Melissa Hammond was heavily damaged by a fire early morning Tuesday, Crippen said. Nobody was injured, but the family lost a pet snake.

The couple and their three children -- daughter, Morgan, 14, and their boys Hunter, 10, and Hayden, 6 -- are staying at the home of friend Mark Tuller while they rebuild at their 3 1/2 acre location on Bell Road. Tuller moved and is living nearby with his parents during the rebuilding. They talked about their situation Friday as they assessed what was lost. Although they had insurance, it will not meet all the costs of rebuilding, Crippen said. The couple has been together for 11 years, moving to their Bell Road house after the flood of 2006 from a house in the village the second time water had damaged their home.

"We've had a run of bad luck," he said.

Crippen is a mid-90s graduate of Cooperstown Central School who worked for the New Berlin water department and as a laborer. Hammond is a 1999 graduate of Gilbertsville-Mount Upton who works as a certified nursing assistant at Chase Nursing Home in Norwich. The family was lucky to escape, Crippen said, as he related what happened Tuesday morning.

She woke up for no apparent reason at about 1:45 a.m. and noticed a red glow in the corner of the room where the chimney passes through, he said. The smoke detectors hadn't gone off, but she yelled: "The house is on fire!" "We yelled to the kids to wake up," and everybody went outside in various states of dress, he said, and she called 911.

Crippen said he went to the basement, where their two-month-old wood furnace is located, to see if anything could be done to put out the blaze. His wife called him to come outside before the house was fully engulfed. He managed to get the children's backpacks and the family keys before he had to escape.

Fire officials told him that the blaze started when wood rafters that were leaning against the chimney got too hot. When the house was built more than 70 years ago, sawdust was used for insulation, and this was also a factor, he said. New Berlin Fire Chief Shawn Patrick did not return a call for comment.

The family has received help from a variety of local sources.

"It's nice to live in a small town where everybody pulls together," Hammond said.

That includes Tuller, who owns a local catering business. When he came to the scene Tuesday, there was no hesitation in offering the house, he said.

"It was just the right thing to do," he said. "I'm just glad to do it. In a small town, everybody helps each other out."

They received numerous donations when the owners of New York Pizzeria in New Berlin notified people on their Facebook page, Crippen said.

Betsy Baio owns the restaurant with her husband, Frank.

"They are good, honest, nice people," Baio said, adding that they recently helped a friend who also lost a home from fire.

The village hall has been used as a place to collect donated items. She was pleased with the response. It is typical of the way many people are in new Berlin.

"They come together when people need help," she said. "That's why I like living in a small town." At Marquits Supermarkets, Michelle Persons said the store has accepted many donations for the family. The response has been overwhelming, Crippen said.

"The community has been there," she said. "People have donated a ton of clothing for the children."

Others who have helped include the American Red Cross and people at Unadilla Valley Central Schoo, where the children attend. The couple's employers have been helpful in giving them the time they need, she said. Anyone looking to assist can contact Jessica Hammond, Melissa's sister, at 239-6101.