Just after 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 4, 2025, Campton-Thornton Fire Rescue, Campton Police Department, and Woodstock Fire Department responded to a reported building fire on Condo Road in Campton. As luck would have it, several firefighters were already at the station, having just cleared a serious medical emergency and an animal rescue involving a horse stuck in mud. This allowed multiple units to respond immediately.

While en route, Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid reported several 911 calls describing fire in a condominium building with people possibly trapped. A second alarm was struck. On arrival, crews found a three-story, 150’ x 50’ structure with smoke and fire showing, and a third alarm was requested. Campton Police officers, already on scene with neighbors, had gone door-to-door evacuating residents and assisted one burn victim from the building. The patient was transported by CTFD Ambulance 1 to Speare Memorial Hospital, and later transferred to Boston for further treatment.

Fire crews advanced handlines inside while another was stretched to the rear. During these operations, a firefighter fell through a weakened floor and became briefly trapped. A mayday was declared, and with rapid assistance from nearby personnel, the firefighter was removed and immediately transported to the hospital by Ambulance 1. Meanwhile, a supply line was laid to the Waterville Estates Recreation Center pond, where Woodstock Fire drafted water to support suppression. Damaged stairs made interior access difficult, so Woodstock’s ladder was deployed to the rear of the building and Plymouth’s tower later positioned in front, both used to gain access and overhaul the roof area.

Due to the building’s age, lack of sprinklers or alarms, and pine board hallway finishes, the fire spread rapidly. Approximately 40 firefighters from multiple towns rotated through suppression and overhaul. The blaze was brought under control within 90 minutes of arrival, with final crews clearing around 6:00 p.m.

During the incident, a separate call for a brush fire on Orris Road was dispatched. Cover companies from Meredith and Alexandria located a half-acre fire burning deep into the ground. CTFD Forestry 2, along with Waterville Valley, Rumney, Woodstock, NH Forest and Lands, and the U.S. Forest Service, assisted in extinguishing the fire, which was cleared around 8:00 p.m.

Support throughout the day was remarkable. Waterville Estates Village District provided sandwiches for crews, while the CTFD Administrative Assistant and Campton Town Office delivered water, Gatorade, and pizza—some generously donated by Exit 28 in Campton.

Chief Daniel Defosses later noted that the incident highlights the importance of smoke alarms and immediate evacuation during a fire. “Although the building suffered significant damage, I could not be more pleased with the job done by CTFD and our neighboring agencies. Their efforts prevented further loss of life and property. In many cases, it takes a village—today it took many villages.”

The causes of both the structure fire and the brush fire remain under investigation by the New Hampshire Fire Marshal’s Office.