Elm Street duplex gutted by fire

A fire, fed by strong winds, quickly ripped through the attic of a 2-1/2 story duplex on Elm Street yesterday evening. No one was reported injured, although the residents of the building will be at least temporarily displaced.

It was not clear how many people were residing in the building at 273 and 275 Elm Street, near the intersection of School Street, and it was not clear what caused the fire to start. However, Fire Chief Ken Erickson said the fire likely started in the attic and was whipped by wind.

The dispatch center received multiple 911 calls, he said at the scene. The first crew to respond was led by Lieutenant Chris Shipp, who could see the fire while still on route to Lakeport, causing him to call in a second alarm before he reached the scene.

"We had a 30 mile per hour wind pushing the fire right through the attic," said Erickson, and firefighters who arrived on scene found a broad tongue of flame, several feet wide, reaching out of an attic window an into the evening sky. "This thing was rocking," he said.

"The guys took an absolute beating but did a great job," said Erickson about the firefighters who were able to fight their way up to the attic floor and gain control of the blaze.

There were residents in the building when the fire broke out, but all were able to escape without injury.

Once the fire was brought under control, it became clear to Erickson that firefighters would have to remain on scene throughout the night, being sure to extinguish each last "hot spot."

With that in mind, and the rapidly dropping temperature, he said "ice is becoming an issue," noting that firefighters exiting the building wore a thin layer of ice on their jackets.

Crews from Belmont, Tilton-Northfield, Gilford, Meredith and Franklin assisted with the two-alarm fire.