Crews responded to a three-alarm fire for a burning garage at 164 Fox Farm Road in New Ipswich on Thursday evening.
Fire Chief Meredith Lund said she called for multiple alarms, as the garage was known to have materials that include propane and oil tanks, and though it is fully detached from the home, it was in close proximity to other buildings. Crews were able to keep the fire contained to the garage, Lund said.
The flames collapsed the roof of the building, and smoke from the fire was visible for several miles. The garage and a motor home stored inside were destroyed, but no one was injured, Lund said.
No one was home at the start of the fire, which was called in by neighbors. When the fire department arrived, the fire had already broken through and flames were showing. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to Lund, but is believed to have begun in the back corner of the building.
Crews had to deal with high winds, but were aided by the proximity of a nearby water source, Lund said.
“Due to the recent heavy rains, we were able to tap into a water source right there, and that allowed us to cut down the tanker shuttle to deliver water,” Lund said. “Once we were able to set up a hose line, we had unlimited water for the remainder of the call.”
The fire was brought under control after about an hour-and-a-half of fighting the flames, and the scene was cleared just after 10 p.m. Fire departments from multiple towns, including Greenville, Fitchburg, Ashby, Temple, Peterborough, Milford, Mason, Jaffrey, Dublin and Rindge responded to the fire, while Wilton provided coverage for the New Ipswich Fire Department.
Ambulance crews from Souhegan Valley Ambulance and Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance also attended the scene, but were not needed.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.