Thursday morning fire displaces residents of six apartments

LACONIA — About a dozen city residents were displaced by a fire that was spotted in an apartment building on Thursday morning.

Laconia Fire Department was dispatched at 8:27 a.m. to the building at 27-29 Baldwin Street, a three-story, six-unit apartment building. The caller reported seeing smoke coming from the roof of the building.

The first to arrive on scene was an off-duty Laconia firefighter, who confirmed fire in one of the third-story apartments. When the first duty crew arrived, they also found heavy fire in the attic, as well as in knee walls and other spaces difficult to access.

The city’s tax data show the building to date back to 1900.

“Fires in older buildings like this are very labor intensive. Because of all of the void spaces, firefighters need to be methodical in making sure they have located and extinguished all hidden fire,” said Chief Kirk Beattie.

All of the residents, estimated to be between 10 and 15 in number, were either not home at the time of the fire or were able to evacuate. Firefighters found a dog, which was removed from the building.

The fire was brought under control by 9:36 a.m., and crews were on scene until around noon. The Red Cross and the building’s owner, Keystone Management, are assisting the displaced.

The building, which is assessed at $211,900, sustained an estimated $100,000 in damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but appears to be electrical, Beattie said.

Crews from Gilford, Belmont, Meredith, Sanbornton, Tilton-Northfield, and Meredith Fire Departments assisted on scene, as did Laconia Police, Eversource and Liberty Utilities. Meredith and Holderness Fire, as well as Meredith EMS, helped to cover the city’s fire stations.