‘They gave it everything they had’ – Concord fire crews extinguish blaze amid high heat

A firefighter sits in the entrance of the house on Elm Street in Concord after a fire gutted the middle of the dwelling on Saturday afternoon, July 13, 2024.

A firefighter sits in the entrance of the house on Elm Street in Concord after a fire gutted the middle of the dwelling on Saturday afternoon, July 13, 2024. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff

Concord Tower One sprays water on the middle of the Elm Street house on Saturday, Juy 13, 2024.

Concord Tower One sprays water on the middle of the Elm Street house on Saturday, Juy 13, 2024. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff

A firefighter sits in the entrance of the house on Elm Street in Concord after a fire gutted the middle of the dwelling on Saturday afternoon, July 13, 2024.

A firefighter sits in the entrance of the house on Elm Street in Concord after a fire gutted the middle of the dwelling on Saturday afternoon, July 13, 2024. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff

Concord City Firefighters were dispatched to a house fire at 286 Elm Street in Penacook at 1:32 pm. Heavy fire was showing from the large house on arrival and a Second Alarm was dispatched bringing numerous outside communities to assist with Tanker trucks for lack of water due to no fire hydrants in the area and to also rotate crews because of the extreme heat & humidity. The fire brought under control at 2:44 pm

Concord City Firefighters were dispatched to a house fire at 286 Elm Street in Penacook at 1:32 pm. Heavy fire was showing from the large house on arrival and a Second Alarm was dispatched bringing numerous outside communities to assist with Tanker trucks for lack of water due to no fire hydrants in the area and to also rotate crews because of the extreme heat & humidity. The fire brought under control at 2:44 pm JAY HEATH—For the Monitor

Concord City Firefighters were dispatched to a house fire at 286 Elm Street in Penacook at 1:32 pm. Heavy fire was showing from the large house on arrival and a Second Alarm was dispatched bringing numerous outside communities to assist with Tanker trucks for lack of water due to no fire hydrants in the area and to also rotate crews because of the extreme heat & humidity. The fire brought under control at 2:44 pm.

Concord City Firefighters were dispatched to a house fire at 286 Elm Street in Penacook at 1:32 pm. Heavy fire was showing from the large house on arrival and a Second Alarm was dispatched bringing numerous outside communities to assist with Tanker trucks for lack of water due to no fire hydrants in the area and to also rotate crews because of the extreme heat & humidity. The fire brought under control at 2:44 pm. JAY HEATH—For the Monitor

Concord City Firefighters were dispatched to a house fire at 286 Elm Street in Penacook at 1:32 pm. Heavy fire was showing from the large house on arrival and a Second Alarm was dispatched bringing numerous outside communities to assist with Tanker trucks for lack of water due to no fire hydrants in the area and to also rotate crews because of the extreme heat & humidity. The fire brought under control at 2:44 pm.

Concord City Firefighters were dispatched to a house fire at 286 Elm Street in Penacook at 1:32 pm. Heavy fire was showing from the large house on arrival and a Second Alarm was dispatched bringing numerous outside communities to assist with Tanker trucks for lack of water due to no fire hydrants in the area and to also rotate crews because of the extreme heat & humidity. The fire brought under control at 2:44 pm. JAY HEATH—For the Monitor

Concord City Firefighters were dispatched to a house fire at 286 Elm Street in Penacook at 1:32 pm. Heavy fire was showing from the large house on arrival and a Second Alarm was dispatched bringing numerous outside communities to assist with Tanker trucks for lack of water due to no fire hydrants in the area and to also rotate crews because of the extreme heat & humidity. The fire brought under control at 2:44 pm.

Concord City Firefighters were dispatched to a house fire at 286 Elm Street in Penacook at 1:32 pm. Heavy fire was showing from the large house on arrival and a Second Alarm was dispatched bringing numerous outside communities to assist with Tanker trucks for lack of water due to no fire hydrants in the area and to also rotate crews because of the extreme heat & humidity. The fire brought under control at 2:44 pm. JAY HEATH—For the Monitor

Concord City Firefighters were dispatched to a house fire at 286 Elm Street in Penacook at 1:32 pm. Heavy fire was showing from the large house on arrival and a Second Alarm was dispatched bringing numerous outside communities to assist with Tanker trucks for lack of water due to no fire hydrants in the area and to also rotate crews because of the extreme heat & humidity. The fire brought under control at 2:44 pm.

Concord City Firefighters were dispatched to a house fire at 286 Elm Street in Penacook at 1:32 pm. Heavy fire was showing from the large house on arrival and a Second Alarm was dispatched bringing numerous outside communities to assist with Tanker trucks for lack of water due to no fire hydrants in the area and to also rotate crews because of the extreme heat & humidity. The fire brought under control at 2:44 pm. JAY HEATH—For the Monitor

By GEOFF FORESTER

Monitor staff

Published: 07-13-2024 5:44 PM

Modified: 07-13-2024 6:39 PM


Concord firefighters extinguished a house fire on Elm Street Saturday amid the nearly 90-degree mid-day heat.

Crews responded to 286 Elm Street on the West side of Concord around 1:30 p.m. after they received a report of smoke coming from a building. They arrived to find “heavy fire” ripping through the roof, according to Fire Chief John Chisholm. 

Crews fought the fire from the interior and exterior of the single-family home.

“I have to give credit to the first arriving companies, it was a lot of fire and for this heat, they did a very aggressive, very hard attack on that fire,” Chisholm said. “They came out and they were spent. I mean they gave it everything they had.”

Other crews rotated in to fully extinguish the fire.  One firefighter was evaluated for heat exhaustion but did not need to be transported to the hospital.

“It's incredible the potential for heat exhaustion, especially when you're inside,” Chisholm said.

Sweaty firefighters took off their gear and tried to rehydrate after working on the fire.

Concord Fire sent out its general alarm, which called all off-duty fire personnel to the stations. Crews from multiple surrounding towns, including Warner, Chichster, Bow, and Loudon either responded to the scene or covered the city’s stations. 

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Two people were home when the fire started and both escaped safely. The single-story home built in 1999 suffered fire and water damage throughout. The home is owned by Edouard and Jacquelin Cote, according to city property records.