Firefighters, Eversource quickly contain live wire on Laconia home

LACONIA — An old electrical wire attached to a Jewett Street home caught fire on Sunday, but a quick fix by Eversource turning off the power averted any damage.

Firefighters responded to 3 Jewett St. at 4:56 p.m. on Nov. 1, after a 911 caller reported there was a live wire close to the house. All Laconia crews were called to the scene, along with fire departments from Belmont and Gilford. Eversource was also called to the scene.

Laconia Police also responded to assist with traffic, but the road was never closed.

“We were able to work around the building a bit, and didn’t have to shut anything down,” Fire Chief Tim Joubert said.

The wire was quickly located, and Eversource shut off the power while first responders investigated the home to make sure no fire spread.

“Just the wire itself was burning,” Joubert said. “It was close to the house, though."

Olessa Stepanova, external communications manager for Eversource, said when the company is contacted by a fire department about an electrical hazard, crews coordinate with first responders and dispatch personnel to assess the situation. 

"Our crew responded Sunday to 3 Jewett Street and repaired electrical connections serving the home that had overheated," Stepanova said on Monday. "There was no structural fire. We returned today for a follow-up safety check and confirmed the connections were in good condition."

The Weirs company was canceled at 5:11 p.m., and crews were back in service at 5:38 p.m.