[Philmont]: Seton Castle destroyed by fire

Ernest Thompson Seton was one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America.
The museum and library at Philmont is named in his honor.

A short biography is here: http://www.etsetoninstitute.org/BIOBYDEE.HTM

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Seton Castle destroyed by fire

By Julie Ann Grimm | The New Mexican
November 15, 2005

Flames devoured the historic Seton Castle on Tuesday, leaving only
blackened stone walls and charred timbers in place of the stately
70-year-old building south of Santa Fe.

A construction crew that was midway through a $2 million renovation
project was working inside the castle when the fire started at about noon,
but firefighters say the cause of the blaze is unknown.

When the first firefighters arrived, the fire had already breached the
building's roof, engulfing the entire structure, Hondo Volunteer Fire
Chief Judd Dean said. "It was just too big by the time we got there," he
said.

Suppression efforts were suspended for about 10 minutes because of a
malfunction in an engine that was pushing water uphill to an "attack
engine" next to the castle, Dean said.

In 2003, the family of naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton sold the castle to
the Arizona-based Academy for the Love of Learning. The academy was using
a federal grant and private donations to restore the building to its
original grandeur. Academy founder Aaron Stern said he wanted to preserve
Seton's legacy and use the space for children and teachers and to hold
conferences on environmental and cultural issues.

"There was so much heart in this place," foundation employee Sage
Magdalene said as she watched smoke billow from ragged holes in the
crumbling castle. "So much work had been done on it. It was beautiful, and
the changes were amazing."

Before the renovations began, the castle needed repairs to its roof,
several walls and wooden floors. Following the fire, it's not clear how
much, if any, can be salvaged. "All of our vision was built around what we
were going to do here. I'm sure the work will go on, but it's a shock,"
Magdalene said. "It's really a tragedy. The whole thing is going to be
gone."

Fortunately, hundreds of historic documents and artifacts had been removed
from the home for the construction. The academy's collection includes
books, biographical material and artwork by Seton, who was an artist,
author and conservationist until his death in 1946. The 32-room,
6,900-square-foot castle on 80 acres near Arroyo Hondo is a National
Historic Landmark and New Mexico State Cultural Property.

None of the 10 workers from Wolf Corp. or others on contract for the
renovations was injured in the fire, although Dean said he was told some
workers jumped off the roof to avoid the blaze. One bystander said he saw
flames shoot out of windows "like a blowtorch" when propane tanks inside
released gas.

A plume of smoke was visible from downtown Santa Fe and drew a cadre of
spectators to the dirt road in front of the castle. Neighbors stood on
their roofs to get a look at the blaze and protect their homes with garden
hoses. Several people helped the construction crew carry tools and
materials away from the site.

Dean said state fire investigators began interviewing witnesses late
Tuesday afternoon and would issue a report about what caused the fire.
Crews returned to the fire station a few minutes before 5 p.m.

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Received on Fri Nov 18 13:18:36 2005