Storm knocks down trees, wires Tuesday night, with no injuries reported

High winds, lightning strikes and trees coming down on houses and roadways kept Laconia and Gilford firefighters busy Tuesday evening. Their chiefs commended their collaborative work, responding to high call volume in a small timeframe.

“All the departments all around us were super busy, and we had to rely on one another to deal with each incident,” said Laconia Fire Chief Tim Joubert on Wednesday. “It is pretty amazing what your personnel can do under stressful situations.”

In Laconia, two medical calls came in at 5:30 p.m. on May 5, back to back, and Joubert said around 5:40 p.m., they had seven straight weather-related calls, involving trees on wires, wires down, and fires.

“Gilford and Laconia was running back and forth to each other’s towns, because we were so busy,” Joubert said.

The first call about an electrical fire at 5:40 p.m. sent Laconia and Gilford fire departments to 395 S. Main St., in Laconia, for what turned out to be a false alarm. Four minutes later, Laconia Fire was called to an outside fire at 808 Weirs Blvd., in Laconia.

A section of Weirs Boulevard was closed because the fire jumped to both sides of the street. Joubert was unsure of the cause, suggesting it may have been an ember from a cigarette landing in bark mulch. He said the high wind at the time helped spread the flames, but firefighters were able to knock it down without issue.

At 5:49 p.m., a large pine tree came down on onto an unoccupied seasonal home at 71 Weirs Blvd. Joubert said the tree damaged three structures, but the main house struck caused concern for first responders.

The tree went through the center of the second floor, collapsing the roof, and ultimately resting on the walls of the first floor. The area was taped off, as Joubert said the house was unstable, and firefighters thought it might collapse.

“I would consider it a total loss,” Joubert said, noting firefighters contacted the homeowners.

Wires also came down on a pair of cars, but left no visible damage. Joubert said Eversource staff came to de-energize the wires.

Firefighters from Laconia remained there until the scene was cleared at 8:07 p.m.

At 5:52 p.m., Laconia Fire responded to 181 Shore Drive for a report of wires down, and then at 6:23 p.m. were sent to 48 Shore Road on Governors Island, in Gilford.

Gilford Chief Steve Carrier said there was a 60x60-foot area burning, with wires down on the side of the road, likely due to wind.

“There was a section of power lines between poles broken, down on some small trees causing a small brush fire,” Carrier said.

At 5:53 p.m., Gilford Fire received a call for a brush fire on Lake Shore Road. The caller told dispatchers they saw lightning strike a guardrail, causing a small fire at the base.

At 7:31 p.m., Gilford firefighters were again called to Governors Island, this time on Summit Avenue, for a large branch across the road. Firefighters were able to assist in removing the tree. There were no downed wires or fire, Carrier said. Laconia Fire sent crews to the call, as well.

At 8:28 p.m. Laconia Fire responded to a call for a tree on wires, and wires down at 155 Lexington Drive, in Laconia.

Joubert said most calls were about a storm with high winds lasting about 30 minutes. Most of the damage was near bodies of water, such as Paugus Bay and other parts of Lake Winnipesaukee, as well as Lake Winnisquam.

There were no injuries reported from any of the incidents.

Laconia Fire responded to 25 calls on Tuesday, which is about double the average day. Earlier in the afternoon, the department had calls unrelated to weather, notably a bicyclist who was hit by a car across from the fire station on North Main Street. Joubert said the adult bicyclist had a few minor scrapes, but was not sent to the hospital.

Joubert and Carrier said their crews are able to prioritize and triage calls, making sure the most important are handled first.

While both chiefs said their own personnel make the decisions on what is priority, Joubert added appreciation for help from their partners at Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid.

“Gilford, Belmont and other towns did an unbelievable job helping out,” Joubert said.

Carrier said with four firefighters on per shift, it can get overwhelming, but his department handled the calls well. He said those on shift were assisted by calling back off-duty personnel, and on-call firefighters.

“It can get a little hectic, but we try to prioritize the calls that we respond to, and make sure we are using the resources to the best of our ability,” Carrier said.