No injuries reported following 5 brush fires in Tilton, Northfield Thursday

Five brush fires were contained quickly Thursday in the woods of both Tilton and Northfield, closing portions of Interstate 93 for a period of time. Crews are expected to monitor hotspots in the coming days.

A car also plunged into the woods along the northbound lane of I-93 Thursday afternoon, in what appears to be a single-vehicle accident.

According to Tilton-Northfield Deputy Fire Chief Sean Valovanie, his department received reports of a brush fire at 12:45 p.m. The 911 caller said the fire was along the highway at mile marker 55.2. He called for assistance at 12:53 p.m., bringing in departments from Belmont, Franklin and Sanbornton.

Valovanie said once they found one fire, it became clear there were others along the highway, so they worked on knocking them down in succession.

“We found two spot fires at first, but then we found a third, a fourth and a fifth,” Valovanie said.

Valovanie called for yet more assistance at 1:09 p.m., bringing in departments from Canterbury, Gilford, Laconia, and the U.S. Forest Service. He said the largest fire was off Bay Street in Northfield, but it was also the easiest to access and to knock down.

“This one was not as deep into the duff of the trees and brush,” he said.

Valovanie set up command at a residence on Bay Street adjacent to a field with a large section which was visibly burned.

He said the highway fires were much more difficult to get to, and the traffic volume at that point in the day was also high. The right lane on a portion of I-93 just after Exit 19 was closed to traffic while firefighters fought the blaze.

At about 2:30 p.m., there were several firefighters in the woods along the highway spraying down hotspots, sending billows of smoke into the air. Charred sections of brush could be seen in several locations. One firefighter said there were “flames everywhere” at one point, and he had been at the scene for about two hours.

Valovanie said he could only speculate about the cause, but sometimes all it can take is heat from a mechanical failure of a vehicle. He added dry conditions cause brush fires to start and spread quickly. Valovanie said the fires were not suspicious in nature.

To make matters more taxing for firefighters, a vehicle crashed into the woods along I-93 North just before the locations of the brush fires around 2 p.m. Information was limited, but one person was assisted at the scene by EMTs. The vehicle was heavily damaged and appeared to have hit a tree.

Valovanie said when his department received the call about the accident he sent one unit from the Bay Street command station, as well as trucks from Sanbornton and New Hampton. Laconia Fire Department took command of the incident.

At about 3:30 p.m., firefighters at the Bay Street fire were still on the scene spraying hotspots. Valovanie said all the fires had been mostly knocked down, but crews would need to spend the next couple days watching it for hotspots.

“We are mostly just mopping up now, and we’ll have to keep an eye on it,” Valovanie said. “Hopefully it doesn’t flare up again.”

With fires in both Northfield and Tilton, Laconia took operations of the Bay Street fire while Tilton-Northfield headed operations on the highway. Valovanie retained command of the total incident.

Valovanie said the water came from a hydrant at the corner of Bay and Caveney Drive, and then shuttled up to the fires using engines and tankers. Water was also taken from the Park Street Station.

No injuries were reported in the fires, and the status of anyone involved in the accident was not known by press time.