Lakeport building damaged in small fire

LACONIA — Firefighters from Laconia and several surrounding communities worked to put out a fire in a large garage-type building on Van Buren Road in Lakeport Monday.

A Fire Department official described damage to the contents of the building at 87 Van Buren Road as minimal.

Firefighters had to cut open the walls and roof of the metal sheath, wood-frame building to extinguish the fire that had ignited material in the building’s partitions.

The Fire Department was notified of the fire at 11:40 a.m. The first firefighting crew to reach the scene saw heavy smoke coming from the structure, prompting the call for a first alarm which brought firefighters and equipment from Gilford, Belmont, Sanbornton, and Tilton-Northfield fire departments to the scene, according to Deputy Fire Chief Jason Bean.

The 10,900-square-foot building contains large garage bays, along with an apartment and office space. The building’s owner is listed as RE Closing LLC of Dallas.

Much of the building's contents were stored on pallets, sparing them water damage. The second-floor apartment was undamaged, the deputy said.

Bean said the fire started in a dumpster close to the building. The fire spread from the dumpster to the building where the exterior wall meets the sill plate between the building’s foundation and the wood framing of the wall and from there extended up the space between the exterior and interior walls.

The fire spread among the wooden framing and insulation between the layers of interior and exterior metal sheeting. It was extremely difficult and time-consuming to cut open the walls and roof to get access to the area where the fire was burning, Bean explained.

The fire is considered to be an accident, he said.

The deputy said it took firefighters about one hour to bring the fire under control. Mutual aid crews were released from the scene about an hour later, he said.

The building was constructed two years ago on Van Buren Road which is situated between Paugus Bay and the Laconia Country Club.

The fire occurred during the middle of a busy holiday period. Bean said that fire and EMS crews which were covering the city’s Central and Weirs Beach stations were sent out on three separate calls while Laconia crews were committed to the fire scene.

Coverage at the city’s two stations was handled by crews and equipment from the Meredith Fire Department and Meredith EMS.