Police have ‘person of interest’ in Dyer St. fire, arrest expected soon

LACONIA — Police have a person of interest in the five-alarm fire that displaced more than a dozen people from an apartment building early Tuesday, Police Chief Matt Canfield said Wednesday.

After obtaining a warrant, police searched parts of the eight-unit building at 17 Dyer St. Tuesday. The search was conducted about 12 hours after residents were rousted from their beds and fled the burning structure with little more than the clothes on their backs.

“We have some good information,” Canfield said of the investigation which is being conducted by Laconia police, fire department and the state Fire Marshal’s Office. “We hope that ties in so we can draft an arrest warrant soon.”

He hoped that police might be able to make an arrest “in the next couple of days.”

The chief said the investigation has so far included interviews with about six people. In addition, evidence has been collected from the scene.

Six of the eight apartments received severe to moderate fire damage. One unit suffered minor fire damage, while another had just smoke damage, according to Fire Chief Kirk Beattie.

There were between 16 and 18 people living in the building at the time of the fire, according to the building supervisor. The Red Cross said that it was assisting 15 people.