Tag Archives: New Hampshire

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Nashua, NH – Factory fire held in check by sprinkler system; Firefighters extinguish blaze

Fire officials credited the sprinkler system in a large Crown Street factory with holding a smoky fire at bay until firefighters were able to get inside and attack the source of the flames late Saturday night. Capt. Karl Gerhard said crews responded shortly after 10 p.m. to Greenerd Press & Machine Co., 41 Crown St., after an activated sprinkler head triggered the building’s fire alarm system. At first, Gerhard said, firefighters found no indication of smoke or fire on three sides of the building. However, upon entering a secured fenced-off portion of the property and checking the fourth side, they cold see heavy smoke inside and water flowing from the sprinkler.

Crews forced their way in, and were met with “a heavy smoke condition” that caused “near-zero visibility,” Gerhard said. Due in large part to the size of the building, Gerhard said officials called for a working-fire response, which brought an additional engine and ladder truck to the scene. Meanwhile, firefighters, operating a hose line, made their way to the fire, which, Gerhard said, was being kept in check by water from the sprinkler.

Crews promptly extinguished the fire, which was declared under control 19 minutes after the first dispatch. Gerhard said crews spent an hour setting up large fans to remove smoke from the building. Nobody was inside at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported. Gerhard said it appears the fire damage is minor, and that Greenerd employees will be able to conduct business as usual.

He said fire officials, after investigating the scene, ruled the fire accidental. Its likely cause, Gerhard said, was the improper disposal of rags containing chemicals used for staining, which resulted in spontaneous combustion. He pointed out the importance of reading and following manufacturers’ instructions regarding the proper disposal of cleaning rags, and cloths and rags used to apply finishing products.

Apartment Building, Residential

Plymouth, NH – Apartment fire extinguished with help from sprinkler system

Dozens of residents of a Plymouth apartment building were displaced after a fire Saturday morning.

The fire started in a kitchen on the third floor of Plymouth Terrace Apartments, a 30-unit building at 36 Adrians Way, the Plymouth Fire Department said in a press release. An automatic sprinkler system knocked down most of the blaze, and fire damage was contained to the unit.

The Red Cross and the town have set up shelter at Plymouth Town Hall to help those displaced.

Other - Retail, Retail

Winchester, NH – Sprinkler system activated at fire in fireworks store

A 75-year-old Winchester man faces seven charges, including four felonies, after state and local law enforcement officials said the wanton discharge of his shotgun set off a massive fire in September at a nearby fireworks store that caused up to $1 million in damages.

Joseph E. Champagne was released on bail.

He will be arraigned Jan. 3 in the 8th Circuit Court Keene District Division on felony charges of reckless conduct, criminal mischief and two counts of falsifying physical evidence, officials said.

Champagne also was charged with theft by unauthorized taking, false swearing and unauthorized use of a firearm.

The arrest follows a joint investigation of State Fire Marshal Paul Parisi’s office and the Winchester Fire and Police departments into the Sept. 24 fire at Stateline Fireworks at 151 Keene Road in Winchester.

According to store executives, Champagne was working part time as a groundskeeper for the owner’s family at the time of the fire.

The fireworks store was open at the time of the fire and was staffed by two employees who were working outside.

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries but the blaze caused between $600,000 and $1 million in damages, Parisi said. Store executives put the damage at about $700,000.

All of the fire sprinkler heads in the business’s showroom worked and there was a speedy local public safety response, which saved the building and kept the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.

Winchester Fire Chief Barry Kellom and Winchester Police Lt. Mike Tollett said the probe confirmed that Champagne had discharged his 12-gauge slug-style shotgun and that the slug traveled through the exterior wall of nearby 156 Keene Road and traveled across Route 10 and into the Stateline Fireworks store — immediately setting off the fireworks stored inside.

Parisi said the chain-reaction explosions that ensued rendered the 3,300-square-foot retail sales floor untenable for human life.

Executives with the Stateline Fireworks business have told state officials they hope to reopen next March.

Parisi and Tollett said the discharged shell could have struck a passing driver on Route 10.

Apartment Building, Residential

Manchester, NH – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in extinguishing dryer fire at apartment complex

A dryer fire forced evacuation of several units at 471 Silver St. on Sunday.  The fire was reported at about 2:47 p.m. , and companies arrived to find smoke showing from a four-story mill multi-unit apartment building. The source of the fire was the first-floor laundry room.  Firefighters discovered a fire in a commercial stacked dryer, which activated the sprinkler system. Firefighters finished extinguishing the fire and removed the affected equipment from the building.  Companies remained on scene to clear smoke that had traveled throughout the first- and second-floor common areas. Cause of the fire is under investigation, but possibly caused by a clogged exhaust pipe.  Damages are estimated at about $5,000.

Public Library

Hopkinton, NH – Sprinkler system assists fire crews in extinguishing fire at town library

Karen Dixon was sitting at the front desk of the Hopkinton Town Library about 4:30 p.m. when a lightning strike shook the building. A few uneventful minutes went by before Dixon heard something in the cupola above.

“I looked up and there was fire in the acoustical tile ceiling,” she said.  Dixon, two other employees and a volunteer pulled the fire alarm, called 911 and got out of the building as the flames spread. Firefighters arrived to find the cupola ablaze and the building filling with smoke, Hopkinton fire Chief Jeff Yale said.  Once the flames were doused, an inch and a half of water puddled on the floor, and the ceiling of the cupola had collapsed onto the desk where Dixon had been sitting.

“I am shocked. That’s my desk,” Dixon said. “That’s where I greet people every day. That’s my life.”  Yale said fire crews were trying to preserve as many books and possessions inside the library as possible and close up the holes in the roof.  “As we clean up the mess inside, we want to make sure with the storms coming through tonight, we don’t want to continue to add to that,” Yale said.

The library will be closed through the weekend as the extent of fire, water and smoke damage to the building and its contents are evaluated.  Townspeople quickly rallied around the library; select board members, friends of the library and library trustees were all at the scene Friday evening, surveying the damage and, later, calling in pizzas from Dimitri’s Pizza while first responders and a clean-up crew sucked water from the building.

“The library is definitely the center of the community,” said Hopkinton select board chairman Jim O’Brien by phone. “We’re already hearing from people asking how they can help.”

“We’re just sort of in shock,” said Amy O’Brien, Friends of the Hopkinton Town Library president.

The damage was pervasive, Jim O’Brien said – many of the library’s collections were damaged by smoke and water as crews put the blaze out.  Yale said the sprinkler system did its job, but it flowed water until the fire department shut it down after the fire was fully extinguished.

O’Brien said an assessment of the building and its contents, as well as whether any programming could continue at the library, would be done over the next few days, and that a solution would be discussed at the select board meeting on Monday.

Though the damage was bad, O’Brien said he was sure the town would continue to support its library.  “Knowing the people of Hopkinton, I’m sure they’ll try to get it back on their feet,” he said.

O’Brien said he was grateful to mutual aid responders for responding quickly to the fire. Emergency personnel from Boscawen, Concord, Hillsborough, Henniker, Warner, Bow and the Capital Area Compact Chief responded to the scene, according to the Hopkinton fire Facebook page.

Last month, a similar storm caused a trio of fires from lightning strikes in Concord, Bow and Hooksett. Fire destroyed the steeple of the Crossroads Community Church in Bow on July 17.

Government/Military, Prison / Jail

Concord, NH – Sprinkler system activated in wood shop at state prison

A small fire broke out in a wood shop hopper at the New Hampshire State Prison Thursday evening, a city fire official said.

Nobody was hurt and the fire caused minimal damage, Fire Chief Dan Andrus said.

The wood shop is in the northern end of the prison complex and firefighters responded to a 5:57 p.m. sprinkler-activation call.

The chief said the fire was contained to a hopper where wood waste such as chips and sawdust are deposited.

Firefighters cleared the scene within an hour and the city fire marshal is following up.

“Nothing suggests anything other than an accidental fire,” Andrus said.

Office Building

Manchester, NH – Fire in law offices on 18th floor of office building limited by sprinkler system

A fire caused extensive smoke and water damage to the offices of a prominent law firm in an iconic high-rise building downtown early Saturday, according to fire officials.  Paul E. Voegelin, chief operating officer at Sheehan Phinney Bass & Green, said Saturday that the firm will reopen for business on Monday as usual thanks to the quick response of firefighters and property management.  When firefighters first arrived just before 4 a.m. they found a water flow on the 18th floor of the Brady Sullivan Plaza, 1000 Elm St., a 22-story office building. First responders located the fire in the offices of the law firm.

A rapid response limited fire damage to the office where it accidentally broke out, according to District Fire Chief Hank Martineau.  It took 38 minutes to bring the fire under control, but cleanup took until 5:36 a.m., officials said. There was an extensive effort to salvage and preserve records and equipment on the floor below the fire.  The 18th floor office suffered smoke and water damage and there was water damage to offices on the 16th and 17th floors, officials said. Officials estimated the damage at $50,000.  Sheehan Phinney’s COO credited all those who dealt with the emergency.

“The fast and excellent response by both the Manchester Fire Department and Brady Sullivan Properties kept the fire quickly contained, keeping damage to a minimum,” Voegelin said in a statement. “We are relieved that no one was in the office at the time and pleased that our office will be open on Monday, conducting business as usual for our clients. Our sincere appreciation goes out to the Manchester Fire Department and Brady Sullivan Properties.”

Martineau said the building’s sprinkler system played a critical role in limiting the fire to the office where it started. There were no injuries. Brady Sullivan Plaza opened in 1972 as the Hampshire Plaza and was for 20 years the tallest structure in all of northern New England. Public Service Co. of New Hampshire built it to serve as a New Hampshire headquarters. Brady Sullivan Properties purchased the building in 2006.

Apartment Building, Residential

Nashua, NH – Fourth floor apartment fire contained by sprinkler system

Firefighters were called to a fire at the Laton House in Nashua’s Railroad Square late Sunday night.

The apartment building was evacuated, sending at least 50 people outside, officials said.

Officials said the building’s sprinkler system activated and held the fire in check while residents left the building.

Fire officials said two people were hospitalized with minor injuries.

The fire started on the fourth floor, but the cause is under investigation, officials said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Manchester, NH – Fire in closet of third floor apartment extinguished by sprinkler system

A closet fire at 84 Karatzas Avenue activated sprinklers that contained the fire to a closet.  The fire was reported at 8:48 p.m. Fire crews arrived to find a water flow from the third floor f a 100-by-400 garden-style apartment.  Engine 10 located an extinguished fire in a closet of apartment 310. The sprinkler system had been activated in the closet and had extinguished the fire. There was substantial water damage to apartments 310, 210, and 110. No one was displaced, as everyone affected by the water damage indicated they had a place to stay.  The cause of the fire is undetermined and remains under investigation.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Keene, NH – Sprinkler system puts out fire in college residence hall

Firefighters say a small fire in a Keene State College dorm room was put out by a sprinkler system.  The fire department was dispatched shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday to the Pondside 1 Dormitory. There was no one in the room at the time of the fire. The cause and origin are being investigated. Damage is estimated at $10,000.  The three-story, 57-unit building houses 100 students and staff.