Lancaster fire ruled “undetermined”

Live stream of the blaze reached 12k views

A mid-day fire last Saturday destroyed most of the second floor of the old Lancaster True Value/Radio Shack building in Lancaster, New Hampshire. Granite North Television was on scene and streamed much of the beginning stages of the fire live to our Facebook account. The replay of the live video is available here.

I had a chance to catch up with Chief Randy Flynn, Asst. Chief Ted Joubert and Asst. Chief Mike Kopp at the Lancaster Fire Department earlier today. During the conversation, the firemen confirmed that the building still was connected to heat and electrical systems, though this was not listed as a cause of the blaze. The State Fire Marshall was on scene Saturday and according to Chief Flynn “They determined that it was undetermined”.

According to Kopp, point of origin was near the rear of the building, and made it’s way up into the second floor of the abandoned structure. Upon arrival to the scene the team began their initial attack on the rear side of the building. “We quickly realized that the fire was too dug in and regrouped” said Kopp. With good firefighting ability they were able to contain the fire damage to the second floor of the two story building.

Training opportunity

Though the structure would have been an easy one to let burn completely in a controlled burn, they were able to work with their crew and use the event as an opportunity to develop the skills of those involved. With an abandoned building, far enough from other structures, and with no immediate risk of injury to citizens, a fire such as this can serve as an opportunity for units to train “in the moment” and under relatively controlled conditions.

Support from the region

In speaking with the firefighters, though “no fire is a good fire” there was a positive response from the team on how they handled the event. They were able to maintain control of the fire, keeping it to the first alarm, due to the timely response of the supporting crews. The mutual aid of Groveton, Strafford Hollow, Whitefield, Jefferson helped on scene, with Lunnenburg and Dalton arriving to cover the station.

Chief Flynn, Assistant Chief Kopp, and Assistant Chief Joubert all expressed gratitude for the assistance on the high profile burn. “Mid-Day on a weekend before Christmas. With the large crowd of locals on site…that’s hard.” said Kopp. Referring to the high visibility of the crew as they worked the scene and battled the blaze.

Lancaster Fire Department is currently seeking new members to assist their other volunteer members. If you’re interested in joining the team as an EMS or Firefighter, or just an interest in helping, please contact them. The Fire department can be reached at 603-788-3221 or by email at fire@lancasternh.org.