Firefighters limit spread of 2-alarm blaze

BELMONT — An outside fire that spread is being blamed for touching off a two-alarm blaze which destroyed a storage building and, for a time, threatened a nearby garage on Saturday.

The fire started shortly after 2 p.m. at 3 Ronald Road, a dirt road off Route 106 in the area of Bryant Field.

When the first Belmont firefighters, headed by Lt. Joshua Huestis, arrived on the scene, they found a 20- by 30-foot outbuilding fully ablaze. Debris outside the building was also on fire and was spreading toward a 80- by 20-foot 1½-story garage nearby.

Laconia and Gilford fire departments responded on the initial call, but soon afterward, a second alarm brought firefighters and equipment from other surrounding communities, including Gilford and Franklin.

Hose lines were laid and crews were able to contain the fire to the original building and outside debris, with limited damage to the larger garage, according to Belmont Fire Chief Kirk Beattie.

Route 106 in the area of Bryant Field was closed for about two hours, and traffic was detoured around the fire scene. Belmont police handled traffic control.

One firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion, Beattie said.