Date of Incident: July 8, 2024
Time of Call: 1132
First Unit on Scene Time: 1136
Under Control: 1156
Units Back in Quarters 1342
Type Incident: Residential Building Fire
Assigned Apparatus: Engine-1, Engine-2, Tower/Ladder-1, Ambulance-1, Ambulance-2, Car-4, Car-2, Car-1, K2
Number of Keene Personnel Assigned: 17
Mutual Aid Units Assigend: Swanzey Fire Department (station-1), Spofford Fire Department (station-2) and Cheshire County EMS (citywide ambulance).
Type Occupancy: Single Family Residential
Type of Construction: Wood-Frame
Building Owner: Tousley Charles D. Rev. Trust
Injuries Reported: 1 Civilian
Summary of Incident:
At approximately 1132 hours units were dispatched on a 1st Alarm to 508 Washington St. for a reported cabin fire. Engine-1, Engine-2, Tower/Ladder-1, Car-4, Car-1, Car-2, and K2 responded from their respective districts. Upon arrival, Car-4 reported a small residential cabin heavily involved in fire. Engine-1 and Ambulance-1 made an initial aggressive attack and were able to knock down the bulk of the fire. Car-4 encountered the occupant of the cabin with significant, life-threatening burns. Crews from Engine-2 and Ambulance-2 diverted from firefighting operations to tend to the burn patient. The patient was treated by Keene Fire Department Paramedics and transported in critical condition to the Cheshire Medical Center where she was subsequently flown by DHART Helicopter to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA.
The Keene Fire department was able to safely extinguish and stop the spread of the fire to neighboring cabins, as well as provide essential treatment to the burn victim.
Neighbors of the building were alerted by the sounding of the building’s smoke alarms, which prompted early notification and activation of 911. The City of Keene Fire Department would like to thank those who called for help and remind citizens of the importance of working smoke detectors for the early recognition of fire conditions.
Estimated Property Loss: $30,000 for the structure, unknown contents at this time.
Fire Origin and Cause: The incident is currently in the early stages of investigation by the Keene Fire Department and State of New Hampshire Fire Marshalls Offices.
For further information contact:
Richard Wood, Fire Marshall rwood@keenenh.gov
Gregory Seymour, Act. Deputy Fire Chief gseymour@keenenh.gov