Investigator: Mansfield hut fire was accidental

The Christmas Eve fire that destroyed a 79-year-old hut near the top of Mount Mansfield was accidental, according to an investigation by the Vermont State Police.

Trooper Todd Ambroz said Tuesday the fire appears to have been caused by human error in the operation of the hut's wood stove.

"Nothing I could find was intentional or malicious," Ambroz said. "Every indication is that this was an accident."

Ambroz said the wood stove appeared to have been stoked by the cabin's tenants at about 2:30 p.m. Dec. 23 in preparation for new tenants scheduled to arrive later that day. Ambroz said wet firewood was leaned against the side of the stove, and its door was propped open an inch or two. That caused the fire in the stove to "really get going" despite being left unattended for the night.

"Part of the problem after that was that the new guests who were supposed to show up never did," Ambroz said.

Smoke coming from the hut reportedly was first noticed at about 6:30 a.m. the following day by a groomer at Stowe Mountain Resort, and entry into the cabin was made roughly 30 minutes later.

"By that time, the fire had probably been smoldering all night long, starving for oxygen," Ambroz said. "Once they were able to get inside, it probably vented it — and off she went."

The hut was vacant at the time of the fire, and no one was injured. The building was determined to be a total loss.

Michael Snyder, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation, which owns and manages use of the hut, said that while the wooden portions of the structure were more or less destroyed, the stone parts are still standing, and there remains a possibility that the hut could be rebuilt.

"It's certainly premature to say anything definitive at this point, but I am optimistically hopeful that we can rebuild the hut — in some form — in the future," Snyder said.