After business hours smoke from fried fax machine scrambles fire departments to Laconia bank building

LACONIA — Firefighters from across the city and the town of Gilford converged on the downtown headquarters of Laconia Savings Bank soon after 6:15 p.m. yesterday after Steve Loughlin, a commercial lender working on the third floor, reported a smell of burning and roomful of smoke.

While crews surrounded the building and raised the aerial ladder to the rooftop, firefighers went inside in search of the source of the fire. Within a half-hour they found what they were looking for — a burned out fax machine in the human resources department.

"We asked for money for a new fax machine in the budget, Loughlin quipped, "but the request was denied."

CAPTION — Laconia firefighters surround the fax machine retrieved from the third floor of Laconia Savings Bank's downtown office that sent off odor and smoke, bringing crews and apparatus to the building yesterday evening. (Laconia Daily Sun photo/Michael Kitch)