Photo gallery by Adam Frederick, Squad 51 Photography
MANCHESTER, NH – A Sunday morning blaze in a two-stall detached garage on the city’s West Side may have been sparked by improperly disposed ash from a wood stove, fire officials say.
Crews from Station 2 on South Main Street responded Nov. 23 within minutes to a 911 call for the fire at 104 McDuffie St. They arrived just after 9 a.m. to find the 1 1/2-story garage fully involved in flames.
The crew encountered venting propane tanks as they advanced a hose line into the
garage. District Chief Michael Gamache said the quick response time by firefighters kept the blaze from extending to the nearby occupied home.
Gamache credited a Comcast technician working nearby who called 911. A neighbor at 88 McDuffie St. alerted the homeowners to the fire.
The homeowners, Beth DiPasqua and Catherine Taague, were the only two occupants of the residence, Gamache said.
A preliminary report by Gamache says that the cause of the fire is accidental and appears to be the result of “the careless disposal of ash from a wood stove which was deposited behind the garage.”
Gamache estimated the damage to the garage at about $30,000.