Vigil Held In Memory Of Boy Killed In Hampton Fire

MERRIMACK -- A vigil for 7-year-old Hampton fire victim Nova Demanche was held Wednesday night at the Gate City Charter School for the Arts in Merrimack.

The school provided 150 flashlights for the vigil in memory of the boy who died in last Tuesday early morning’s fire on Thorwald Avenue. Demanche had attended the school since November.

The State Fire Marshal’s office is still investigating the cause of the fire, which spread quickly with the high winds that night. Seven of eight people in the house were able to evacuate, but the boy’s body discovered after the fire was extinguished.

Kim Smothermon, who owns the home and was Demanche’s grandmother, has been giving updates each day on the Facebook page of the Guinea Pig Sanctuary, which operated in the home. She reported early Thursday morning that Lucy, the family’s missing black Labrador retriever, was found on Wednesday and treated for burns and smoke inhalation.

“I swear as God (as) my witness she was deceased when I pulled her from the fire,” Smothermon wrote. “Somehow she managed to survive, run around the neighborhood for a few days, and stay alive in the freezing cold.”

She wrote that the family will be staying in a hotel until long-term housing can be arranged. She added that she is looking to move the Guinea Pig Sanctuary to a location in Seabrook.

Smothermon thanked the members of the Guinea Pig “village” who have offered words of support for the family and the sanctuary.

“Even though we are all (including our village) dealing with extreme grief, sadness, and pain, you have all lifted us up and kept us going,” she wrote. "Honestly, I don't think I could make it without all the emails, texts, PMs and messages of support, and the zillion prayers that are being sent up. Truly we love each and every one of you, and we are extremely thankful you are in our lives.”

Several fundraisers have been put together for those displaced by the fire, including a Sneaks4Squeaks campaign, and a GoFundMe page the owner of Ocean State Guinea Pig Rescue created that has raised more than $6,000 in seven days.

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