Firefighters Battling Blaze At River Dave's Canterbury Cabin

CANTERBURY, NH — Capital region firefighters are battling a fire on the Merrimack River at the cabin site of David Lidstone, 81, who is currently in jail on a contempt citation after refusing to leave the land where he has been living for 27 years.

At around 3:30 p.m., firefighters from Canterbury were called to River Road for a smoke investigation. En route, firefighters reported “heavy smoke” from the area more than a mile away and immediately called for backup. Boscawen firefighters were requested and later, Concord and Loudon, too.

Canterbury Fire Chief Michael Gamache confirmed to Patch that the fire was at Lidstone's site and his cabin was "totally destroyed" by fire.

According to scanner chatter, a plane searched the area to find exactly where the fire was. Merrimack County Sheriff’s Department also arrived and told firefighters that they believed it was Lidstone’s cabin site. Firefighters had difficulty accessing the site and are currently still on the site fighting the fire.

Lidstone, better known as “River Dave,” has been living on the parcel for about 27 years, according to the Associated Press. He was ordered by a Merrimack County Superior Court judge to vacate the property. For nearly three weeks, he has refused and remains in jail.

During the last quarter of a century, Lidstone constructed a cabin with solar panels for power while also growing his own food and animals to live off. He claimed in proceedings that the original owner agreed to let him live on the land but did not have a contract or proof of the approval.

The property has been owned by Leonard Giles, another octogenarian, who lives in South Burlington, Vermont, since 2000. The family has owned the property since the 1960s. Giles found out about Lidstone squatting on the parcel, which is more than 70-acres, about six years ago. He filed a lawsuit to have Lidstone removed in September 2016.

Since that time, there have been dozens of hearings in superior court with rulings siding with Giles.

In October 2018, Lidstone was featured on WMUR-TV’s Chronicle program and has been a sort of folk hero ever since, with fans being impressed by his ethos of living simply and reconnecting with nature.

Lidstone was found in contempt of court in January 2020 but was released on bail. Arrest warrants were issued earlier this year and Lidstone was arrested by sheriffs on July 14. A bail hearing was scheduled for Wednesday with a second hearing booked for Aug. 11.

“You came with your guns, you arrested me, brought me in here, you’ve got all my possessions,” he said at a hearing on Wednesday, according to the AP. “You keep ’em. I’ll sit here with your uniform on until I rot, sir.”

Supporters of Lidstone have been working to find ways of helping him stay on the land. Some have pointed to state laws that allow squatters to claim adverse possession claims on land they have used for more than 20 years.

Concord NH Patch will update this post when more information becomes available.

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel.