Firefighters battle 3-alarm blaze on Laurel Street in poor weather conditions
Mutual aid from 9 surrounding towns assisted Manchester with the 3-alarm fire on Laurel Street.
Description of Incident: Companies were dispatched to a building fire at approximately 7:42 p.m. on Jan. 19. On arrival crews were met with a massive volume of fire in the rear of the building extending up to the peak of the roof and into all three floors of the dwelling. Reports that everyone had made it out of the building came shortly after arrival.
Crews attempted to search the building but were pushed back until more hose line support could make it into the building. The fire burned away the access to the third floor and part of the second floor making access and fire control extremely difficult. A second alarm was called shortly after arrival bringing in more resources. A third alarm was stuck at approximately 08:30 p.m. bringing in all available off duty personnel. The fire was brought under control at approximately 9:20 p.m. and crews worked until 11:30 p.m. to extinguish hot spots.
Special Circumstances: Extremely cold and snowy conditions hampered fire operations and slowed travel for incoming companies and personnel.
Injuries: The tenant was transported to the hospital about an hour after firefighters arrived as a precaution, upon their request. There were no physical injuries due to the fire.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Estimated loss: $200,000.
