Two people were able to jump to safety from a second-story window early Saturday in a fire that engulfed a two-family home near downtown Concord.
Concord fire responded to a call to 52-54 Rumford Street at 12:18 a.m. Two people inside had been able to escape the home prior to their arrival. One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion at the scene, and one person was transported to the hospital. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
While fighting the blaze, the fire hydrant used as the primary water source failed and pulled itself from the ground, leaving the hydrant lying next to a 20-foot-tall geyser of water.
Crews switched to a different hydrant and resumed battling the blaze. The fire was mostly contained soon after fire crews arrived. It was fully extinguished a few hours later. All units cleared the scene by 4:27 a.m. except one engine that remained at the building overnight until the investigation could resume in the morning.
Units from Boscawen, Bow, Chichester, Epsom, Hooksett, Hopkinton, Loudon, Manchester, Pembroke and the Compact Area Chief Coordinator assisted Concord units at the scene. Franklin, Henniker, Penacook Rescue, Tilton-Northfield, Tri-town Ambulance, and Pittsfield aided with station coverage and responding to other calls in the city, including a gunshot victim and infant with difficulty breathing.
The two-family apartment building was built in 1840, according to city property records, and the owner lives in Newburyport, Mass.