No injuries reported following RV fire at the Weirs

WEIRS BEACH — No injuries were reported after the Laconia Fire Department was dispatched to a call for an RV on fire at the Weirs at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday evening.

The fire reportedly started from a malfunctioning wood stove at the trailer park behind the Weirs Drive-In Theater.

The RV is a total loss. There were no occupants in the RV at the time of the fire. Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention Louis Loutrel said there were no working smoke detectors in the trailer. He emphasized the importance of detection devices.

“Luckily, nobody was inside at the time of the fire, but that definitely would have helped notify occupants if they were inside of the time of the fire,” he said.

The fire was extinguished at 6:48 p.m., with Gilford, Belmont and Meredith companies assisting on the scene.

Loutrel said a car in proximity to the RV also sustained damage.

“It had some spots where the plastic tail lights or plastic in the mirrors was melting because of its proximity to the trailer, and the radiant heat from the fire, but it was never actually on fire,” Loutrel said.

The original call to 911 came from someone on the lake, who saw the flames from across the water, and thought Winnisquam Marine was on fire. A second call from Winnisquam Marine confirmed the fire was at the trailer park.

Loutrel said the residents cleaned their wood stove, but a malfunction caused the fire. He gave advice for safe operation.

"It can be pretty easy to get a vent pipe backed up and cause a fire there that can spread,” he said. “Or, if you don't have the right protection area out front of the wood stove, materials that are too close can catch on fire as well.”

In January 2024, one person was found dead in the vicinity of the RV park from carbon monoxide poisoning. Loutrel believes the repeat in location is more of a coincidence than a pattern.

“They both had to do with a heating appliance, but in the case of the fire last night, the occupants of the trailer were pretty regularly cleaning the vent pipe, and making sure that they were removing ash from the building,” he said. “It was just a mishap with the operation of the fire.”