Cause Of ‘River Dave’ Canterbury Cabin Fire Unknown: Update

CANTERBURY, NH — The cause of a fire at the camp of a squatter, who has been in the Merrimack County Jail, fighting to keep from being removed from a 70-plus-acre Canterbury property, is currently investigated.

Canterbury firefighters were sent to the area of Oxbow Road and Riverland for a report of heavy smoke in the area around 3:30 p.m. Firefighters, according to Fire Chief Michael Gamache, found significant smoke conditions in the area, including a large plume rising from the woods. The access road to the fire could not be navigated by trucks, so firefighters used UTVs to find the source of the smoke.

“They encountered a camp-like structure that was fully ablaze that had mostly collapsed upon itself as they arrived,” Gamache said. “The adjacent woods were on fire as well. This camp, referred to as ‘River Dave’s homestead,’ was approximately two miles into the woods, a 15-minute ride in the off-road vehicle that was utilized.”

Firefighters searched the property as well as adjacent outbuildings by found no occupants. During the course of the fire, Boscawen, Concord, and Loudon firefighters also were called to assist. Railroad representatives and the state fire marshal’s office were also requested to the scene.

Firefighters used portable floating pumps to draw water from the Merrimack River to fight the fire.

“The initial operational focus was to extinguish the fire that was progressing in the adjacent woods,” he said. “Then, the attention was turned to the home which was fully collapsed upon itself.”

The fire was extinguished around 5:30 p.m.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation and Gamache said the structure was determined to be a total loss.

David Lidstone had been fighting a court order to vacate the property which is owned by Leonard Giles of South Burlington, Vermont. Lidstone claimed he had a previous agreement with a prior owner of the land, a member of Giles’ family, but had no proof. Defying the court order to vacate, Lidstone was in jail since mid-July. On Thursday, he was released from jail and ordered to stay off the property.

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