SUNAPEE, NH — Firefighters battled a second-alarm blaze that destroyed a garage and two vehicles but saved a home early Friday morning on Hamel Road.
The Sunapee Fire Department received a call at 1:33 a.m. reporting a fully involved garage fire at a residence.
A Newbury Police officer arrived at 1:37 a.m. and confirmed the building was fully engulfed, with neighbors reporting two occupants were still inside.
The officer entered the residence and evacuated the two occupants.
Because fire blocked their evacuation route to the road, the officer and the two residents were forced to cross the ice on Mountain View Lake to reach safety at the beach.
Neighbors of the burning building evacuated using the same route across the frozen lake.
Safety Officer John Gosselin arrived at 1:39 a.m. and reported the garage fire had spread to a pickup truck and was extending to the house.
Gosselin immediately upgraded the incident to a second alarm, bringing in additional mutual aid.
The first Sunapee apparatus, Engine 2, arrived at 1:49 a.m. and crews deployed hose lines and began extinguishing the fire.
Engine 2’s crew entered the house and conducted a primary search to confirm no other people or pets were inside.
The fire was declared under control at 2:25 a.m.
The house was saved and suffered only minor exterior and interior damage, allowing the occupants to reoccupy it after the fire was extinguished.
The garage, a car inside it and the pickup truck outside were total losses.
Sunapee Fire personnel remained on scene until 5:39 a.m. checking for hot spots.
Mutual aid was provided by fire departments from New London, Newbury, Newport, Goshen, Croydon, Bradford, Grantham and Springfield.
New London Hospital EMS, Sunapee Police, Newbury Police, the Sunapee Highway Department and Eversource Power Company also assisted at the scene.
Chief Tillson served as incident commander.
