UPDATE: Former graffiti-strewn landmark goes up in smoke

WEST LEBANON - The house at the bottom of Prospect Hill, a former graffiti-strewn eyesore that had been renovated and improved in recent years, was destroyed today in an early morning blaze.

Firefighters were still there this morning checking on hotspots as two investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s office combed the wreckage for clues of the fire’s origin.

One of the fire marshals will canvass neighborhood residents later today to see if anyone saw anything suspicious during the night. No preliminary cause was given this morning as the investigation was still in its early stages, one fire marshal said.

State Fire Marshal Daniel Young said this afternoon they had been unable to make contact with the owner or a person said to have been renting the house.

He said it was too early in the investigation to make any comment on a probable cause. He also said that it had not been determined whether or not the building was insured.

Milton Fire responded first to the structure fire at 147 Champion St. followed quickly by Lebanon, Acton, Wakefield and Sanford.

Upon arrival at the scene around 2:30 a.m. firefighters initially mounted an interior assault but were quickly pushed back by the flames, said Lebanon Fire Chief Skip Wood, who said the blaze wasn’t quite fully involved when he first arrived.

Firefighters were able to draw water from a nearby hydrant, but were unable to save the structure.

The house was reportedly rented out to an individual from Maine, but investigators were still trying to determine who the owners were and whether or not the structure was insured.

No one was home at the time of the fire.

There were initial reports that there might have been a dog on the second floor, but Wood said firefighters found no evidence of a dog when they searched upstairs after the fire was extinguished.

This morning around 7 several of the 33 firefighters who originally responded were still on hand, several going up ladders outside of the house to check on hot spots on the second floor.

The stairs were destroyed in the blaze.

In the past several years, the house was sided obscuring the graffiti that had made the house a topic of conversation among locals for years.

One firefighter was treated for exhaustion at the scene by Lebanon Rescue personnel.

Frisbie and Sanford hospital ambulances provided support.

The back of the building appears heavily charred.

Firefighters climb a ladder as they prepare to enter the second floor through a window because the fire rendered the stairs unusable. Below, the fire prior to being extinguished. (Courtesy photo)