Date of Incident: August 28, 2025
Time of Call: 1649
First Unit on Scene Time: 1759
Under Control: 1955
Units Back in Quarters: —-
Type Incident: Brush Fire
Assigned Apparatus: Car 2, Car 4, Brush 1, Brush 2, UTV 1, Tanker 1, Ladder 2, K4
Number of Keene Personnel Assigned: 18
Mutual Aid Units Assigned: Spofford Brush, Hinsdale Brush, Winchester Brush, Rescue Inc. Drone
Mutual Aid Units Covering: Swanzey Engine, Westminster Engine, Keene Engine
Type Occupancy: Agricultural
Type of Construction: —–
Property Owner: Mark and Alona Florenz
Injuries Reported: No reported injuries
Summary of Incident:
At 1649 this evening, Keene Fire Department units were dispatched to a report of a column of smoke near Stearns Road in West Keene. Units from Station 1 could see the column of smoke from West Street during their response.
The area in question consists of dense forest and mountainous terrain, which made locating the fire difficult. Off road vehicles, UTV’s, and personnel on foot were unable to quickly locate the seat of the fire, though smoke could be seen in the area of Arch Street and Hurricane Road. A drone from Rescue Inc. in Brattleboro was requested to the scene and quickly located the fire behind Archway Farms on Arch Street.
Initial Companies reported approximately ½ to 1 acre of active burning. Though the fire did not cover a large area, the fire was deep seated and required digging and a large amount of water to extinguish.
Large brush trucks from Hinsdale and Winchester were requested to the scene to assist with shuttling water to the scene of the fire, approximately 0.65 miles from the intersection of Hurricane Road and Aldrich Road.
Crews will continue to monitor the area throughout the next few days to ensure no rekindling of the fire.
Estimated Property Loss:
There is no property loss involved in the incident.
Fire Origin and Cause:
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation from the City of Keene Fire Marshal’s Office. Any questions related to cause and origin should be referred to fire-marshal@keenenh.gov.
There is presently a prohibition on outdoor burning and consumer fireworks discharge due to very high fire danger conditions. This ban will remain in place as long as the fire danger risk remains high. Reports of suspicious smoke or burning are taken seriously and appreciated as fires spread quickly in these conditions.
For further information contact:
Gregory Seymour, Deputy Chief
Operations Division Commander
Keene Fire Department
31 Vernon St. Keene, NH 03431
(603) 757-1899 (Central Station)
gseymour@keenenh.gov
www.keenenh.gov/fire
Or – the Keene Police Department
