Outing Club's cabin in New Hampshire burns to ground

A fire that completely destroyed the MIT Outing Club’s cabin in Bartlett, NH, on Nov. 12 is still under investigation, according to club President David A. Maltz ‘93.

Bartlett Fire Chief Roger Labbie said, “There wasn’t much left to put out when [the fire] was discovered.” He said the details of the fire are still vague.

The New Hampshire state fire marshal said his department’s investigation will probably be “wrapped up this week.”

Several groups used the cabin over Veterans Day weekend, and the last group to use the cabin left Monday afternoon, Maltz said.

Delta Upsilon President Erik D. Larson ‘92 said DU’s pledge class stayed in the cabin on Sunday and Monday. The cabin was still standing when they left, and they made sure to check that the gas was turned off, he said. DU is waiting for the fire marshal to finish his investigation.

Matthew J. Cutler ‘95, a pledge at DU, said, “There’s not a whole lot to tell. We gave our president an exact chronology, and he told everything to the Outing Club.”

Various sources said a second fraternity stayed at the cabin that weekend, but that fraternity could not be determined by press time.

Maltz said the cabin was insured and the insurance claim is being processed. Three Outing Club members built the cabin in 1980 on land the club owned, replacing a cabin that had burned down on that site. Maltz said it is “tough to say” what the value of the cabin was, although the materials cost $20,000 10 years ago. The cabin was used “basically every weekend,” including during the summer, Maltz said.

The Outing Club currently plans to build a temporary structure in place of the cabin to last throughout the winter. “Hopefully, we will be rebuilding in the summer or fall of next year,” Maltz said.