Barn fire in Meredith injures 1

MEREDITH — One person received minor burn injuries while attempting to retrieve contents from a burning barn on Sunday, which brought in 10 agencies to knock down the blaze.

According to Fire Chief Ken Jones, Meredith Fire and Police responded to Livingston Road for a reported barn fire.

Jones said the homeowner, Anna Ruth Holmes, and a neighbor, Robert Sawyer, were working in a garden alongside the home. They heard a noise, then saw the barn was on fire. Jones said they tried to put out the blaze with a garden hose, but it was beyond that point.

Holmes’ son, Troy Holmes, came shortly and attempted to put out the fire, but was pushed back by the heat. Jones said while trying to remove contents, Troy Holmes got minor burns to his hands, and he was assisted by paramedics with Stewart’s Ambulance.

The barn did not have any animals inside. There were no other injuries reported.

Additional help was called for when a Meredith Police officer arrived. This brought in personnel from Center Harbor, Gilford, Holderness, Laconia, Moultonborough and New Hampton. Ashland and Sanbornton assisted with station coverage.

Yet more help was requested for tanker support, knowing water would need to be shuttled to the barn, and there was concern about having enough people to extinguish the fire. Jones said the weather conditions also presented concerns, as the region was at the tail end of a heat wave. The Meredith Water District was notified, as water support came from a hydrant at the intersection of Livingston and Meredith Center roads.

The second request brought firefighters from Ashland, Bristol, Plymouth and Sandwich. Belmont assisted with central station coverage.

The barn fire was just feet away from the home, and Jones said while there were some windows broken and shutters melted, the house only sustained minor smoke and heat damage.

“It took a little exterior heat damage, but the residence was saved,” Jones said.

On Monday morning, only one charred area remained, which Jones said is likely where the fire started. He said Peter Verrill, of Verrill's Trucking and Excavating, provided an excavator to knock down the rest of the 36x60-foot barn, built in the early 1900s.

“The excavator came in to knock it down, so we could extinguish the fire quicker,” Jones said.

The NH Fire Marshal’s Office came to investigate, but Jones said the fire is not suspicious. The cause has not been determined.

“Due to what was left, it is being ruled an unknown cause, and the investigation is still ongoing,”

Jones commended the work of the firefighters from around the Lakes Region, saying while it started to extend toward the woods, it was quickly contained.

“The guys did a hell of a job to keep it just to the barn,” Jones said.

The scene on Livingston Road was cleared at about 3:30 p.m., and Jones said his department responded to about six calls in that time period. He said, in general, it has been busy.

“This certainly has been a busy July,” Jones said. “Meredith Fire has already had 26 runs. We are on a tear.”

Jones said with more people flowing into the area, they will naturally get more calls. He said in the summer, the department usually has its numbers double. However, 26 runs is still high this early in the month. Normally, the department will likely have responded to 15 calls so far.

On Thursday, the town was responding to issues related to power outages. Starting around 2 p.m., firefighters went to three possible electrical fires and multiple fire alarms.

There was also a close call regarding improper disposal of fireworks at 10:29 p.m., on Waukewan Street. Jones said it appeared someone living in an apartment building launched fireworks, and discarded the remaining material into a garbage can under the stairwell.

“It appears that not all the fireworks were ignited, or shot,” Jones said. “One went off, and blew the can over, and started a fire. It started burning his exit stairwell.”

Jones said a police officer used a fire extinguisher, and firefighters finished the job. There was minor damage to the wooden stairwell, but no injuries.

Jones said it was a product known as a “cake,” and seemed to have ignited after not being properly disposed. He recommends putting fireworks remains in a large container, covered with water, and covered in a remote area.

Meredith Fire responded to a fire alarm in the middle of the night on July 5, and on Chase Road, for a report of a structure fire. Firefighters found the homeowner was burning materials behind the house, and there was no uncontrolled fire.

Then at 3:29 p.m. on Sunday, just as the fire at Livingston Road was being cleared, the department received a medical call on a boat in Fish Cove. He said someone was having a medical emergency — not drowning — and was taken to Concord Hospital-Laconia by Stewart’s Ambulance.

Firefighters were called to a water rescue at 6:25 p.m. Sunday, then called off by Marine Patrol. The call was initially reported to be between Mink and Martin islands in Gilford, but Gilford Police and Fire personnel were responding to a report of an airplane crash, which turned out to be a false alarm.

Jones said Marine Patrol removed 10 people from the boat, and brought them to shore uninjured, and Sea Tow removed the boat from Lake Winnipesaukee.

“The more people here, the more calls we get,” Jones said.