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Fire ruins historic inn Photos by Jim Craven The fire that destroyed the Carpenter Hill Inn sent flames 30 feet into the air. Above, the morning sun silhouettes part of a second-story wall. Late-night blaze follows vandalism at 90-year-old Carpenter Hill Inn By JIM DAVIS The husk of a baby grand piano could be seen in the living room of the once-great home. A burned chandelier sat on a wet lawn. Paintings and antiques waited in the rain, covered by tarps. Fire officials remain uncertain what caused the blaze that destroyed the building south of Medford. Firefighters were hampered in their initial attempts to battle the fire by a lack of available water. The Carpenter Hill Inn south of Medford -- a historic home visited by Clark Gable and William Randolph Hearst -- stood in shambles Thursday, destroyed by a pre-dawn blaze. "It was something that was old that spoke to the heritage of the valley," said Gary Caperna, brother of owner Angela Caperna. "It's a shame to lose that." No one was injured in the fire at the bed and breakfast, which hadn't been in operation this year. But the building, with a listed market price of $699,000, was a complete loss, said Debi Bisbee, a Medford fire investigator. Firefighters have not determined whether the fire was accidental or suspicious, and hadn't been able sift through the smoking rubble Thursday. Vandals have hit the house recently, and firefighters will look for possible intentional causes, Bisbee said. "There are too many circumstances that we're aware of and, with it being such a big-dollar loss, we've got to think of it that way," Bisbee said. Caperna bought the 5,700-square-foot house at 846 Carpenter Hill Road in 1991 and restored the home, which had been built in the early part of the century. Caperna, a Medford interior decorator, has been away for a few weeks remodeling medical offices in Los Angeles. The fire began late Wednesday night and is believed to have started in the center of the home in the second story or the attic, Bisbee said. Carpenter Hill Inn owner Angela Caperna, shown in this 1994 photo in front of the bed and breakfast with her dog Sterling, was trying to sell the property when fire destroyed the building late Wednesday night. Debbie Tabor, a friend of Caperna who lives near the inn and who was watching the place, was at the house when the fire started to flare. Tabor cleaned the inn for a few hours Wednesday night, because a Portland antiques dealer was coming this weekend to take most of the paintings and antiques to an auction. Tabor said she brought her dog, because she was spooked when she had heard noises in the house the night before. Getting ready to leave about 10:45 p.m. Wednesday, Tabor heard a pop coming from the upper story and saw her dog run from where the sound came. She heard another pop and the smoke alarm went off. She grabbed her dog and was going to put it in her car. "I was still going to try to go in there, because I knew where the fire extinguishers were," she said. By the time she returned, Tabor saw a glow and smoke coming from the upper story. She went to a guest cottage on the property where caretakers, a husband and wife and two children, stay. Tabor and the wife fought the fire as the husband went to another home to call 911. "We tried to put it out with a garden hose after he went to call 911, but it was just ridiculous," Tabor said. Medford firefighters got the call at 10:59 p.m. Wednesday and arrived in six minutes. Initially, firefighters didn't have enough water to fight the blaze and spent most of their time salvaging furniture, artwork, china, silver and even a history nameplate. "We were trying to get anything out the house, while we were getting our water lines in order," said Brian Fish, a Medford fire training chief. Nearly 50 firefighters from several departments worked on the blaze. Firefighters had to pump water out of a hydrant at the AM/PM Market on South Pacific Highway a couple of miles away from the house. Four water tenders continuously took water from the gas station to the fire. Flames burned up to 30 feet in the air until firefighters were able to get water on it. Firefighters are expected to begin their investigation today. Because the attic and upper story caved in, investigators will use a crane to lift debris and sift through layer after layer. Bisbee said the house has been the scene of several reports of vandalism, and had a window broken this week. An Ashland real estate agent told fire investigators that at least nine windows had been broken. Tabor said that the caretakers had chased people off the property and someone had been in the home in recent weeks. "They mussed up the beds," Tabor said. "Nobody had taken anything as far as I know." When Caperna bought the home, it was dilapidated with dead lawns, broken windows and even birds living inside the structure. Edward Carlton, heir to the Western Union fortune, built the place in 1909. It was designed by noted architect Frank Clark. Carlton's visitors included Theodore Roosevelt, as well as Gable. Hearst stayed there later, after the second owner, orchardist Corning Kenley, took over and did extensive remodeling. Situated on the side of a small hill, the overall complex covers 12,000 square feet, with various outbuildings and an Olympic-size swimming pool. Caperna recently divorced Brian Greg Haimovitz, a businessman now living in Los Angeles. She had put the house on the market briefly this spring and put it back on the market this summer. "It was just a big expense for her to handle on her own and keep it going," said Tam Ryberg, Gary Caperna's longtime girlfriend. Angela Caperna was trying to get on a plane to the Rogue Valley to see the house as soon as possible, Gary Caperna said. "She's absolutely completely beside herself," Gary Caperna said. "Shocked and depressed and she can't bear to see it." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA