No injuries, damage reported in after-hours fire at Meredith brewery

MEREDITH — Firefighters responded to a fire alarm at Kettlehead Brewing Company, after it was closed on Saturday night. The incident is under investigation, and it appears a chemical reaction in a laundry bin caused smoldering rags and heavy smoke.

Capt. Tyler Currier said the Meredith Fire Department received the first call at 9:46 p.m. on July 11, about smoke in the building, at 8 Plymouth St. The call came about 40 minutes after the last person in the restaurant had gone home.

Engine 3, with Currier, Lt. Billy Taggert and firefighter Brandon Taggert, arrived at the scene at about 9:56 p.m., and said there was no visible smoke through the side door, where the alarm panel is. Engine 2, a tower truck, and Gary Pariseau, the town’s fire inspector, also responded.

Currier said there was some difficulty getting inside at first, as the code to the lockbox didn’t work. They moved to the back door, and were able to force entry, finding heavy smoke.

Firefighters found a rag bin in the kitchen, and Currier said the side looked like the “lit end of a cigar,” smoldering, but with no visible flames.

“We removed the bin from the area, put it outside, and removed the smoke from the building,” Currier said.

Currier said firefighters pulled the rag bin apart to find the cause, thinking there may have been a discarded cigarette inside. It wasn’t until the next day they found out stainless cleaner was used that evening, and Currier said when this is mixed with chemicals like bleach, it can cause an issue.

Currier said there was no damage to the structure itself, and while smoke was heavy at first, it cleared quickly, and likely left behind an odor in the kitchen.

“It was light in color, so there weren’t a lot of particulates in it, and we used positive pressure,” Currier said.

There was no water damage. The bin was brought outside, and an air pressurized water extinguisher was used. No injuries were reported.

Currier said he hasn’t come across this specifically, but he knows there have been times where linseed oil, or other oil-based products, can combust.

“It may have been a chemical reaction to generate enough heat to justify combustion,” Currier said.

Owner Sam Morrissette confirmed there was no damage to the property, as it was contained to the laundry bin.

“We opened the next day,” Morrissette said.

Currier said it could have been worse, and the business was prepared, with a working fire alarm that contacted the department. The building is also equipped with sprinklers, and he said if flames had been produced, they likely would have been extinguished when activated.

Firefighters contacted management on Saturday night, because they had to force their way in. Currier said they did not express interest in coming to the scene. Currier said firefighters secured the building “as best as we could,” and cleared the scene.

Pariseau said nothing has been ruled out, and there was no evidence of a lighter or matches. He is a former health inspector of nearly two decades, and said he has seen chemical reactions occur before. He did not want to speculate, but said sometimes chemicals are accidentally mixed.

“That is part of the investigation,” Pariseau said. “For me, I’d like to see what is on the label.”

There will be a meeting on Wednesday with the business owner, the fire department and the state’s Food Protection office, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services. During the meeting, the group will look at the chemicals involved, and check the instruction labels to ensure this won’t happen again.

The incident is not deemed suspicious, and is under investigation.