BOXFORD — Bill Hudak's political aspirations next year are to defeat John Tierney and win a seat in the House. But right now, his goal is to be able to move back into his own house.
The Herrick Street home belonging to the Republican congressional candidate suffered substantial smoke damage after a fire there yesterday morning.
"We'll be displaced for a while," Hudak said in a telephone interview from the Marriott Residence Inn in Danvers.
Hudak, his wife and children will call the Marriott Residence Inn home for some time. The family will most likely spend Christmas there until repairs are made.
"It's never a good time for something like this, obviously, but everybody's OK," Hudak said.
Fire Chief Kerry Stickney said the fire stemmed from baseboard heating under the floor.
The blaze was contained to the family room area, but there was smoke damage throughout the home. The fire caused between $75,000 and $100,000 in damages, according to the chief.
"We don't know how long it was burning. It's been a problem that's been waiting to happen any time," Stickney said.
Hudak said there were no signs of smoke Sunday night when he hosted a campaign fundraiser at his home, and no signs at 8:30 a.m. yesterday when he left home to stop by his campaign office in Danvers.
But within 90 minutes, Hudak's wife, who was at home sick, woke to the smell of smoke and the sound of the fire alarm, Stickney said.
The fire department received their first report of the fire at 10:04 a.m.
The house at 165 Herrick Road was built in 1979, and the Hudaks moved there in 1986.
In 1989, they built an addition, and the fire happened "right about the junction line where the two parts came together," Hudak said.
After first stopping at his campaign office, Hudak went to his own office in Saugus where he received word about the fire.
Hudak doesn't expect the fire to impact his campaign schedule.
"This was going to be a relatively slow week because of Christmas," Hudak said.
While the fire will inconvenience the Hudaks, they appreciate the support from family and friends.
"It's nice to know people care about these types of things," he said.
Hudak also offered praise for the firefighters who extinguished the fire quickly.
"They did everything by the book and that was great, and I give them a big round of applause for what they did," Hudak added.
Assisting Boxford at the scene were Topsfield and North Andover firefighters. Georgetown and Middleton fire departments provided station coverage.
Fire Capt. Shawn Stickney injured his shoulder while fighting the fire. He went to the hospital on his own. Lyons Ambulance was on the scene.
Also on scene was Rehab Five, a volunteer unit run by Roger Baker of Peabody that provides support to firefighters. Conditions during the fire had the temperature hovering in the mid-20s with strong winds.
"Roger Baker has quite the set up. We're lucky to have him around," Stickney said.
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