By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
CLAREMONT, N.H. — The Claremont Fire Department had a busy weekend with calls ranging from brush fires to a car crashing into a Washington Street business causing significant damage.
Deputy Chief Andrew Stevens noted that there is a Red Flag Warning, which is when there are warm temperatures, very low humidities, and stronger winds, combining for an increased risk of fire danger. According to Stevens, with a Red Flag Warning in effect, having a fire is prohibited, but that didn’t stop some residents on Saturday.
“The illegal burn was pretty straight forward, but being a Red Flag day, there was no burning allowed in the state,” Stevens said.
The department also responded to several box alarms, and on Charlestown Road they responded to a tree down on wires.
On Sunday the calls continued to roll in for the fire department, starting with a variety of medical calls followed by an early afternoon brush fire on Foisy Hill Road. Stevens said it was a Box 200 call at 12:40 p.m., which is a full recall of all personnel, and the department was assisted by Windsor, Charlestown, Ascutney and Newport Fire Departments. Lempster and Unity covered the station, but then Unity was also called to the scene.
“It was really dry, so it was moving pretty quickly,” Stevens said. “It was about two acres in size at the top of Foisy Hill so the terrain was a little bit difficult. It was a little steep.”
The fire was under control at 2:07 p.m. and apparatus was cleared from the area at 5:02 p.m. As of Sunday night, Stevens said the cause had yet to be determined.
Later in the afternoon, at 2:15 p.m. the fire department was toned to a report of a vehicle that drove through the glass storefront of America’s Mattress.
Stevens said it appeared that someone either hit the gas pedal instead of the brake, but could not confirm a cause, as he was still busy at the brush fire.
“The bulk of the time at the scene was waiting for the building inspector to assess the building,” he said. “It was a significant amount of damage. It wasn’t deemed unsafe but there was a gaping hole in the front of the building.
No injuries were reported and it was under control at 2:32 p.m., Stevens said.
The department will surely be on high alert in the coming days, as the Red Flag Warnings continue and dryness persists. With no rain expected until at least a few days, he said people need to be safe when disposing of ash from wood stoves or discarding cigarettes.
“Be careful to discard any smoking materials,” he said. “Over the past week or so we have gone to a couple of mulch fires.”
Stevens said these fires “don’t tend to be crazy,” but can be from people at stop lights flipping their smoking materials out the window into mulch beds.
“You just have to be aware of that type of stuff,” Stevens said.
