Residents Removed from Concord Apartment Fire

By JAY HEATH, Correspondent | April 16, 2021 | NEW HAMPSHIRE

Story No. 041721101

Photo by Jay L Heath A Concord firefighter helps residents onto a ground ladder from the third floor balcony, making for tense moments as the fire was being extinguished in the third floor hallway.

Photo by Jay L Heath

Photo by Jay L Heath A resident climbs onto the ground ladder from a third floor balcony.

Photo by Jay L Heath Concord Tower Ladder 1 firefighters remove a family from the third floor balcony.

Photo by Jay L Heath Concord firefighters enter the building.

Photo by Jay L Heath A young child is handed off to a firefighter after being removed from the third floor. All the residents were evaluated at the scene, but none of them required transport to the hospital.

Photo by Jay L Heath First Due Concord Engine 5 at the scene.

CONCORD, NH - City firefighters removed several residents trapped from a fire at "The Pines of West Concord" early Friday morning, April 16th.

Concord crews were already at the scene of a bathroom fire at the Margaritas Restaurant downtown when the Box came in at 1:22 A.M. for the apartment complex located in the "Penacook" Section of the city.

While companies were en route to the Box, Concord Fire Alarm started receiving calls for a fire on the third floor of Building 3 with people trapped in the building. First due Engine 5 and Ambulance 5 arrived to find heavy smoke banked down in the third floor hallway with several residents on balconies unable to escape from the heavy smoke and fire. A parent from one third floor unit jumped from their balcony while the other parent waited to hand off their child before climbing down.

A Working Fire was called by Battalion 1 as firefighters immediately went to work rescuing trapped occupants using ground ladders and a tower ladder. Multiple people were evaluated at the scene, but none of them required transport to the hospital.

Mutual Aid was received from Boscawen, Franklin, Hooksett and Hopkinton Fire Departments as the fire was contained to the third floor. The fire was under control at 2:16 A.M., and is under investigation by Concord Fire and Police and the State Fire Marshals Office.