Community Risk

Two-Alarm Apartment Fire in N.H. Under Investigation

Aug. 31, 2014

Nine fire departments assisted Durham firefighters at a 2-alarm apartment fire that displaced about 30 residents included many University of New Hampshire students.

Source Foster's Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H.

Aug. 31--DURHAM -- A two-alarm building fire is still under investigation after a single apartment in the complex caught fire early Saturday morning.

Deputy Chief John Powers, of the Durham Fire Department, said a passerby reported the fire on Park Court at 2:47 a.m. The Durham Fire Department responded and found that the first floor apartment at 30 Park Court had flames coming out of the window. No one was in the apartment at the time and the fire was quickly knocked down.

Nine additional local fire departments assisted on scene, and two other departments covered Durham's fire station, during the incident, Powers said.

Fire Investigator Chris Wymann said all the apartments in the building were rented, but not all were occupied. Residents were safely evacuated with no injuries, he added.

Wymann said the investigation has been ongoing since Saturday morning and will likely continue throughout the day. They have not reached a point in the investigation to determine the actual cause of the fire, however.

"We're still looking into what actually caused the fire." He said. "We have to look into all possible causes."

Police tape blocked off all entry into the building. University of New Hampshire sophomore Alana Zuccl, 18, who lives in a third floor apartment, was unable to go back inside.

Zuccl, who just moved into the apartment Friday night, woke up because of the fire truck's sounds. She immediately left the building when she saw the hallway was filled with smoke.

"I didn't know what was going on," she said.

All of the roughly 30 residents in the apartment building are displaced as the investigation continues. Kelly Lewton, the regional property manger of University Edge, said all of the residents have been accommodated in the meantime. Lewton declined to say where specifically some of the residents have been placed or chosen to stay, but said they have all been comfortably accommodated.

Lewton added that University Edge was considering using Red Cross' assistance but felt that it could adequately help the residents.

"We're pleased with the results," she said.

No damage estimate was available.