'To him, everybody was a friend'; North Walpole teen mourned after deadly fire

Gloria Underhill, an X-ray technician at Springfield Hospital, got up from the bed that Sunday evening and readied herself for work. Hours later, as night became twilight, the North Walpole resident would get the bad news: There was a fire at her home in North Walpole. Her son Daniel lost his life.

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'To him, everybody was a friend'; North Walpole teen mourned after deadly fire By Liora Engel-Smith Sentinel Staff Feb 8, 2018 Updated Feb 8, 2018 (11) 4 remaining of 5 Welcome! We hope that you enjoy our free content. NORTH WALPOLE — The night before he died, Daniel Underhill did what he always did — he ate Frosted Flakes with his dad. He snuggled with his mom and told her about his day. “He told me that he went bowling with school, and he made two strikes,” his mom, Gloria, said Wednesday. It was a daily ritual both mother and son adored. After they snuggled, Gloria would get ready for her night shift, and Daniel would get ready for bed. Daniel, 18, had significant developmental disabilities, but it did not stop him from chatting up a storm. He would talk about his day or his favorite subject — animals. Gloria, an X-ray technician at Springfield Hospital in Vermont, got up from the bed that Sunday evening and readied herself for work. Hours later, as night became twilight, the North Walpole resident would get the bad news: There was a fire at her home on 8 East St. Daniel didn’t make it. “(It’s) every parent’s worst nightmare,” she said. Daniel’s father, Chuck, tried to save him, but couldn’t, she said. Chuck, who was treated for injuries at Springfield Hospital, was released and is recovering, Gloria said. The blaze took at least three hours to extinguish, according to Allan Shepard, 68, who lives across the narrow roadway from the Underhills’ two-story home and witnessed the fire early Monday morning. First-responders were called to the scene at 3:16 a.m. Five fire engines and about 30 firefighters worked to contain the flames. The house, Gloria said, is ruined — flames ravaged the second floor, and smoke spread throughout the home. Parts of the house were destroyed by water damage, she said. Gloria, her husband and their two dogs are staying at a hotel for now. Their two cats are nowhere to be seen. The Underhills’ older son, Christopher, 21, was away at college when the fire happened. On Wednesday, the family received some answers about Daniel’s final moments. He died of smoke inhalation, and his death was ruled an accident, according to a news release from N.H. State Fire Marshal J. William Degnan. The fire’s cause remains under investigation. ‘The Daniel effect’ The family had almost lost Daniel once before. When Daniel was a baby, he began having unexplained seizures — sometimes as many as 30 per day. Around his first birthday, Daniel had a seizure so severe he required CPR. The lack of oxygen damaged his brain — he stopped talking, walking and eating solid foods. He later regained these skills, but his mental capacities were never the same. Daniel was diagnosed with developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, and needed to be supervised when he got dressed or walked down the stairs, his mom said. “He was 18 going on about 4 years old,” Gloria said. But Daniel was much more than a collection of his disabilities. To those who loved him, he was pure joy, Gloria said. “If you showed him the least bit of kindness, he was your friend forever. He never saw the bad in anybody, whether they were mean to him or not,” she said. “To him, everybody was a friend or a potential friend.” At Fall Mountain Regional High School in Langdon, many students — some of whom were not in special education — knew Daniel. They would acknowledge him by name in the hallway, and Daniel would greet them whether he knew them or not, said his paraprofessional and neighbor Ronda Sichling. Daniel loved dinosaurs. He had encyclopedic knowledge of the reptiles and their eating and living habits. He could pronounce even the most complicated dinosaur names, Sichling said. He would make up elaborate stories that always involved animals or share animal facts, according to Sichling. Sometimes, she had to impose little rules designed to help him expand his horizons, like the time when she asked him to come up with words that begin with “Y” but aren’t animal names. He came up with “yodel” and would yodel for the class every so often, Sichling said. Walpole house fire death ruled accidentalFree Access | February 10, 2018 BY TIMOTHY LA ROCHE tlaroche@eagletimes.com CLAREMONT — State fire investigators have determined that the death Monday of an 18-year-old Walpole man in a house fire was accidental. Daniel Underhill, of 8 East St., was found dead at the scene of the blaze, New Hampshire Fire Marshal William Degnan said, adding that foul play is not suspected. The cause of the blaze is being investigated by members of the state Fire Marshal’s Office, North Walpole Fire Department and Walpole Police Department. Fire investigator Adam Fanjoy could not be reached for further comment. Underhill was a senior at Fall Mountain Regional High School. “On behalf of the school district, I extend our sympathy to the family and friends of Daniel,” Fall Mountain Principal Richard Towne said. “He will be greatly missed by the entire Fall Mountain school community.” Support and counseling services will be available to students. A service in his name is scheduled for Feb. 17 at the Westminster Congregational Church. An autopsy conducted on Feb. 7 concluded that the cause of death was smoke inhalation. Degnan advises that residents check their smoke alarms. The blaze was reported at 3:16 a.m. on Monday. Although the fire was confined to the interior of the building, the call quickly elevated to a second-alarm after dispatchers received reports that that someone may have been trapped inside. The North Walpole Fire and Rescue station is located close to half a mile away from the scene of the fire, but volunteer firefighters had to leave their homes in the night before arriving at the fire, North Walpole Fire Chief William Crawford said. Crews began arriving on scene about 8 minutes after the call was reported. Crews at the scene entered the residence shortly after arrival but found one person — later identified as Underhill — already deceased inside the building on the second floor, Crawford said. Another occupant was taken transported to the hospital with minor injuries. “We believe that the house is not going to be habitable,” Crawford said. “There is significant damage confined to the interior.” North Walpole Fire and Rescue, Walpole Fire Department, Bellows Falls Fire Department, Charlestown Fire Department and Westminster Volunteer Fire and Rescue responded to the scene. Langdon Volunteer Fire Department and Westminster Volunteer Fire and Rescue also provided station coverage during the blaze. Follow Timothy LaRoche on Facebook at Eagle Times – Timothy LaRoche, or on Twitter at @TimothyLaRoc