Date of Incident: June 20, 2025
Time of Call: 5:03 pm
First Unit on Scene Time: 5:07 pm
Under Control: 5:32 pm
Units Back in Quarters: 8:41 pm
Type Incident: Structure Fire
Assigned Apparatus: Lebanon Engine 2, Brattleboro Ladder 1, Manchester Engine 1, Concord Ambulance 1, Dover Ambulance 3, Tilton-Northfield Ambulance 2, Keene (C1, C2, C4, K1, Utility 1), Keene Rescue 1, CCEMS Ambulance
Number of Keene Personnel Assigned: 26 (includes companies acting as Keene)
Number of Mutual Aid Personnel Assigned: 2 (Cheshire County Ambulance)
Mutual Aid Units Assigned: Cheshire County Ambulance, Brattleboro, Chesterfield, Marlborough, Walpole, Eversource
Type Occupancy: Single Family Home
Type of Construction: Wood-Frame
Building Owner: Charles Mulcahy
Injuries Reported: None
Summary of Incident:
At 5:03 P.M. on June 20, 2025, the Keene Fire Department was dispatched to 78 Dale Drive for a reported basement fire. Multiple cover units were in the city during the funeral services for Lieutenant Aaron Cooper (ret.) and acted as Keene Units for this incident.
On the dispatch, Engine-2, Ladder-1, A-1, A-2, A-3, C-1, C-2, and C4 responded lights and sirens from their respective stations and Cheshire Medical Center. Engine-1 and Engine-3 were responding back to the city from a separate fire in Jaffrey.
The initial arriving companies had smoke showing from a single-story, wood-framed, ranch-style home. Investigation confirmed heavy smoke from the basement. The Lebanon Engine initiated fire attack in the basement while the Brattleboro Ladder and Tilton-Northfield Ambulance initiated a search and ventilation. Concord and Dover Ambulances (secondary arriving units) completed a search on the first floor and assisted with the fire attack. During the search of the home a dog was located and removed. The dog did appear in good condition and did not require emergency interventions.
The fire was contained in the basement to the area of an aquarium. However, there was extensive smoke and water damage throughout the home as a result of the fire and fire attack efforts.
The Keene Fire Department would like to thank the mutual aid companies for a job well done. Outside of this incident, the companies ran multiple critical incidents throughout the day. Multiple different companies, all from different cities, were able to work together to mitigate multiple emergencies as if they had done it together every day, which truly speaks to the professionalism of emergency services across New Hampshire and Vermont.
Estimated Property Loss:
Property damage is estimated at $55,000, though smoke and water damage to building contents may increase those values.
Origin and Cause:
This fire was investigated by the City of Keene Fire Department Fire Marshal’s Office. The cause of the fire was determined to be “failure of the plug strip powering the basement aquarium”.
Questions regarding the origin and cause should be referred to: fire-marshal@keenenh.gov.
For further information, contact:
Jason Martin, Fire Chief jmartin@keenenh.gov
Gregory Seymour, Deputy Fire Chief gseymour@keenenh.gov
Richard Wood, Fire Marshal fire-marshal@keenenh.gov
