SPRINGFIELD, VT - The woodworking shop of fine furniture maker David Heinz was destroyed by fire last Wednesday morning.

Firefighters responding to the scene were able to spare the woodworker's 1792 home, which the Rutland Herald reported is on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the newspaper, Heinz asked firefighters to concentrate their efforts on saving his wood shop housed in a detached barn behind the house as it was not insured. Heinz reportedly invested 13 years renovating the old barn into his business, David Heinz Studio.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

In blogs posted between 2008 and 2012, Heinz wrote about his excursions to Nepal to help build and repair schools.