Firefighters challenged by brush fire deep in woods off Sheffield Road at abandoned encampment

MANCHESTER, NH – Fire Chief Ryan Cashin says it’s not every day when conditions stack up the way they did for Sunday’s brush fire. On the one hand, the fire was hard to get to – located in the woods behind All Dogs Gym on Sheffield Road, it took time to find a way to get to the fire.

And in such situations, time is never on the side of a firefighter.

But when there’s a forest fire, organic conditions matter, so it was good that we’d had some drenching rain of late, said Cashin. With dryer conditions and enough wind the brush fire might have taken more with it than just brush.

Although the city does its best to keep track of encampments, Cashin said the fire erupted at a site they were not aware of.

“In order to get back there the access was really hard – it was still light but dusk was coming,” Cashin said Monday of the fire, first reported at about 8:30 p.m. “Even after finding better access from South Mammoth Road the fire was a good 800 feet into the woods. After laying a 2.4-inch hose they brought in forestry hose – lighter weight but larger in diameter, explained Cashin.

Small explosions caused by propane tanks also factored into the mix. Propane canisters aren’t uncommon at homeless encampments but when they catch fire they can complicate the situation.

“We were mindful of the exposures of the buildings in the area and I can say we were lucky we’ve had decent rainfall in last couple of days, due to the time it took to find a good access point and hoses deployed,” Cashin said.

Even without wind the fire was starting to get into the trees and, in New Hampshire, fire typically spreads faster once it gets into the crowns of the trees – unlike a wildfire on the West Coast, said Cashin, which is more likely to spread due to low-lying brush and grassy areas.

All told, fire companies and other first-responders remained on the scene for several hours putting out hot spots. Cashin and Mayor Ruais surveyed the damage in the dark.

Everything remains under investigation. It’s hard to know how many people were staying in the encampment – anywhere from 2 to 5 people is Cashin’s guess. Such fires erupt for a multitude of reasons – from careless smoking to cooking to a campfire that’s not fully extinguished.

“My firefighters did an amazing job under extreme duress for a fire that was inaccessible and had bad visiibity. They had to overcome several obstacles to search the area and make sure no one injured. We had a lot of resoures –  a dozen firefighters, police, AMR and the mayor – to make sure the situation was handled properly, and the commander in control, Battalion Chief Jon Fosher, was phenomenal,” Cashin said. “Everyone worked hard to get the fire under control.”

Below is the official incident report.

Address: Area behind 505 Sheffield Road

Dispatch: 8:25 p.m.

Under Control: 9:29 p.m.

Resources: Engines 3,8,11,and 2, Forestry 1 and 2, AMR x21, as well as ATV1.

Description of Incident: Crews responded to a report of possible brush fire in the area behind  505 Sheffield Road. When companies arrived they could see a heavy column of  smoke coming from deep in the woods between South Willow Street and South Mammoth Road.

Crews had trouble gaining access to the site of the actual fire because of the dense vegetation and lack of any access roads or known trails. Command was established on South Mammoth Road, and access was gained through the rear of 1029 South Mammoth Road.

Crews had to bushwhack their way to the actual fire which was determined to be an encampment in the woods which was fully involved. The area of the fire was quickly searched for possible victims but the camp was determined to be vacant.

There were numerous small explosions heard coming from the scene which were attributed to propane tanks in the area of the fire. Additional companies were called to assist with dragging approximately 600 to 800 feet of large diameter hose through the brush in order to set up a  hub where smaller hose lines could be deployed.

Crews waiting for a water source to be  established effectively contained the fire from spreading using backpack water tanks with hand  pumps that were carried in by the initial Engine companies. The Fire was quickly knocked down and overhauled. The Fire Prevention Division was called in to try and assess a cause, which remains under investigation.

Civilian Injuries: None

Emergency Service Injuries: No physical injuries, but several exposures were reported

Special Circumstances: Difficult access and water supply