Fire destroys business; damages home

LACONIA — The production area of a small home-based business was destroyed and the attached residence damaged in a two-alarm fire Sunday.

The damage would have been much worse had the owner not called 9-1-1 as quickly as he did, Fire Department officials said.

The fire at 80 South Main St., was reported at 10:08 a.m.

Bernard Colangeli Jr., the homeowner who operates BC Screen Printing at the same address, said Monday he was inside the house when he smelled smoke and rushed to the attached ell where the workshop is located. He grabbed a small fire extinguisher. At first, he had trouble getting the extinguisher to work. After a few seconds he was able to get the extinguishing agent to discharge from the nozzle, but when he opened the door to the shop the wall was already engulfed in flames, he said.

The first fire departments responding to the alarm could see a plume of smoke as they were pulling out of the station, and immediately called for a first-alarm to summon assistance from neighboring departments. A second alarm was struck when the first firefighters arrived on the scene.

“There was very spectacular fire showing when we arrived,” Laconia Fire Department Lt. Brian Keyes said Monday.

Keyes said the area occupied by the screen printing business was destroyed, while firefighters were able to save the home itself, although it suffered heat and smoke damage.

Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control before 11 a.m., Keyes said.

While investigators were working to pinpoint the cause of the fire on Monday, Assistant Fire Chief Jay Ellington said all indications are that the fire started accidentally.

“Kudos to the Fire Department. They were here so quickly,” said Carol Downing, Colangeli’s partner.

Colangeli said that in addition to his silk-screen printing equipment, the fire destroyed $1,700 worth of polo shirts which he was scheduled to silk-screen for St. Joseph Cathedral in Manchester this week.

Colangeli started the business 31 years ago, he said.

He said he was grateful for the help he has been receiving from friends since Sunday. Some showed up with sheets of plywood and helped Colangeli board up a number of broken windows.

“I’ve got a lot of people in my corner. I’m very lucky,” Colangeli said.