Exeter, NH – Sprinkler system activated for vehicle fire in parking garage; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system is being credited with stopping the spread of a vehicle fire in the parking garage at the bottom of an Exeter apartment building Sunday morning.

The fire started just before 3 a.m. in Building A on Willey Creek Road inside the Ray Farm community off Route 27 in Exeter, according to Exeter Fire Chief Eric Wilking. Residents of four story building were evacuated for about an hour as firefighters put out the blaze and remained on scene to remove smoke and remove the smell of smoke and gasoline from the garage, stairways and hallways.

“This fire certainly had the potential to spread, but the sprinkler system and quick work of our crews kept it at bay. The incident is a good reminder about the effectiveness of a working sprinkler system,” Fire Chief Eric Wilking said in a statement.

No one was injured in the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.