By MIKE KALIL
DERRY – A furniture store burned to the ground yesterday, and the owner says he does not know whether he will rebuild.

Firefighters responded to Kindelan Woodworking, 179 Rockingham Road, at about 4:30 a.m. and found the building engulfed in flames. No one was inside when the fire started and there were no injuries, fire battalion Chief Mike Gagnon said.


Investigators were still trying to pinpoint the cause yesterday, Gagnon said. They were expected to stay at the scene the rest of the day, he said.

Bob Hersey, 54, bought the property 2 1/2 years ago and spent the time since doing renovations. In an interview, Hersey said he spent 38 years as an auto mechanic before deciding to turn his woodworking hobby into a career.

When he saw flames coming out of all the building’s windows, he said, he knew it was a loss.

“It wasn’t that hard to figure out,” he said.

Hersey, who lives next to the business, said he does not know how the fire started. He said he did not know replacement cost estimates, and he didn’t know whether he will rebuild. Hours after the fire started, he said, he were already being offering rebuilding services.

The store had five full-time employees, three of whom were on vacation yesterday, Hersey said. An outside building where orders are stored was not damaged, he said. Hersey’s daughter, Julie, said one employee arrived at work yesterday to find the building destroyed.

Julie Hersey, who did not work at the store, said that nothing inside the building was salvageable and it all burned quickly because everything was wooden. She arrived in the early morning and stayed for hours.

“The second I saw it, I knew it was done and over with,” she said.

Kindelan sells custom-made furniture built at the Rockingham Road location. The business’ Web site says that it’s the state’s “largest supplier of custom-built, finished, and unfinished furniture.” The property has an assessed value of $426,900, according to online property records.

Gagnon said the fire was in an area not served by municipal water, so firefighters had to bring water in. Fire departments from Auburn, Atkinson, Chester, Hampstead and Windham assisted by providing water tankers, he said.

Firefighters had the blaze under control at about 6 a.m., he said. A section of Route 28 was closed until about 7:30 a.m.

Fire departments from Salem, Londonderry and Hudson also assisted, he said, while Raymond, Pelham, Hampstead and Hooksett provided station coverage. The Salvation Army also responded to the scene.