Grass fire at Beans & Greens quickly contained; damage limited

GILFORD — Firefighters and farm workers joined forces to quickly contain a grass fire at Beans & Greens Farm Thursday evening.

The fire began when a spark from an outdoor wood furnace landed in some nearby grass, causing it to ignite. Dry conditions, compounded by gusty winds, caused the fire to spread, according to the Gilford Fire Department.

Gilford firefighters were called to the scene at 245 Intervale Road (Route 11B) just before 6 p.m.

Workers were the first to spot the fire, Beans & Greens owner Andy Howe said.

The fire briefly threatened several greenhouses and a large pile of cordwood, but firefighters used hose lines to protect the greenhouses and prevented the fire from spreading into the woods. Greens & Beans workers helped firefighters to put out the fire in the 20-by-40 foot cordwood stacks.

Wind gusts were blowing between 25 and 30 mph during the fire, according to data recorded at the nearby Laconia Airport.

A Laconia Fire Department engine, plus forestry crews from Belmont and Alton helped to bring the fire under control by 6:37 p.m. Units remained on the scene until just after 8 p.m. extinguishing remaining hotspots.

Howe described the overall damage as minor and credited  firefighters for doing an extraordinary job in getting the fire under control so quickly.