Doug Henry Update

Racer X has gathered some more information on the devastating house fire that destroyed the former motocross/supercross champion's Connecticut home.

We spoke with Dan Brown, a close family friend of the Henry’s and owner of Heal Clothing. "Well basically, the fire destroyed the whole house, the only thing left is a stone chimney. The whole house burned to the ground," said Brown, whose family spent Saturday helping Doug and Stacey by sifting through the charred remains, looking for anything salvageable.

No one was home at the time of the fire, as Doug was en route to the west coast to ride the Day in the Dirt event at Pala Raceway. Upon landing in California, Doug got the news and turned around and flew home immediately. Because the house was situated on a remote hilltop location at the end of a long driveway, firefighters initially had a hard time tracking the fire. The first reports came from local residents who were reporting a brush fire instead of a house fire. By the time firefighters had tracked down the source of the fire and arrived on scene, the house was fully engulfed with flames. Compounding matters were heavy winds that were in the area, which likely played a role in quickly spreading the fire.

Fortunately no one was home, but the Henry’s did lose a dog and a cat in the fire. The family had two other dogs, which were outside and survived. Despite reports on the Internet, Doug’s factory Yamaha YZ400 was not lost in the fire, as it is currently on loan to the AMA Heritage Museum in Ohio. No other racebikes were lost, but Doug’s Yamaha Rhino, fitted with specialized hand controls, as well as his mono ski (used for winter skiing) was lost. In addition, Brianna and Ian lost all of their athletic gear.

Currently the family is doing OK, and they're staying with friends and relatives while they regroup. While the Henry’s did have fire insurance, the family did lose almost all of their personal items, including Doug’s racing memorabilia.

Mr. Brown indicated that Doug is seeking photographs from the moto community that include him or his family at the races – in other words, off track photography that includes images of him with his wife and children.

"Doug said he would be getting a note out to the moto community shortly, but in the meantime, the family wishes to thank all the local fire departments, including the Torrington volunteer group, as well as the Red Cross for their support" said Dan. In addition, the Henrys really want to thank all of the local community persons, fans, friends, and businesses that have so quickly rallied up to help and bring support to the family during the most critical time.

Racer X will post more information as it becomes available.

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