Many left homeless after apartment fire

LACONIA — Three people, one of whom suffered respiratory arrest, were treated for smoke inhalation problems in a fire yesterday afternoon on Union Avenue.

Laconia Fire Chief Ken Erickson said that the smoky fire caused extensive damage to the second and third floors of the eight-unit apartment complex, rendering the building uninhabitable and leaving as many as 20 people homeless.

“When we arrived, we found one person who was in a state of respiratory arrest, and that person was taken to the hospital. Two other people were treated for smoke inhalation and one of them was also taken to the hospital,” said Erickson.

He said the fire appears to have started in a ceiling void between the second and third floor of the large apartment building, which is located at the intersection of Arch Street and Union Avenue.

“We went to a third alarm because of the size of the building and the hot weather with temperatures around 80 degrees. We wanted fresh crews so we could put it out as quickly as we could,’’ said Erickson.

The fire produced thick, black smoke that billowed from windows broken to vent the smoke and from a hole cut in the roof by firefighters.

Two ladder trucks were used by firefighters, one on Union Avenue that provided access to windows on the second and third floor, and one on Arch Street from which firefighters launched an interior attack on third floor.

The fire was reported shortly after 2:30 in the afternoon and Union Avenue was still closed to traffic four hours later.

Stephen Wilson, who was visiting with Jess Young and her two-year-old daughter, Joelle, on the second floor said that he smelled smoke and when he checked the hallway saw smoke coming through the open door of an apartment across the hall.

“I went into the apartment and could see smoke and flames in the bathroom.  I came back out and yelled to Jess to take Joelle and get out and let the people downstairs know they should get out,” said Wilson, who is the 2-year-old’s godfather.

Glen Young was not at home when the fire broke out, but works nearby at the hospital and reached the scene quickly. He said he feared that a number of snakes and lizards that he is looking after as a sort of rescue mission died from the heavy smoke.

Peter Colson Jr., said that his wife, Megan Mulcahy, was in their third-floor apartment when the fire broke out.

“She heard the smoke alarm and saw a cloud of smoke when she opened the door. She took off running and got out as quick as she could,” said Colson.

He feared the family lost all of its belongings in the fire but was glad that their three children were all in school and not home when the fire broke out