By Mark Hayward
The New Hampshire Union Leader
MANCHESTER, N.H. — With a terrified couple holed up in their bedroom, firefighters felt their way through a smoke-engulfed living room to find and rescue them from their second-floor apartment in downtown Manchester on Wednesday night.
The fire burst out in the apartment during a busy holiday night in downtown Manchester. It prompted the evacuation of all apartments in the four-story building and two storefront businesses: Caesario’s restaurant and Element Lounge.
Element Lounge, which is directly underneath the apartment, sustained heavy water damage and could be closed for as much as two weeks, said District Fire Chief Mike Gamache. Caesario’s should open today.
“More than a hundred people were at Element Lounge. It was one of the biggest party nights of the year,” Gamache said.
Meanwhile, police said their ability to fight the fire was hampered when someone pulled on old-fashioned firebox alarm, diverting two fire engines from the downtown call.
The Manchester Fire Department was alerted to 1061 Elm St. at 9:22 p.m. Wednesday after residents called emergency dispatch to say their apartment was on fire.
Gamache said the couple in Apartment 210 were in bed when they smelled smoke. She opened the door to the living room, but quickly shut it and called 911.
At one point, they reported an explosion, but Gamache believed it was the sprinkler system going off.
“The 911 dispatcher kept the occupants on the phone (helping them stay calm) the whole time up until they were rescued,” Gamache said in a written statement issued to the media.
In an interview, Gamache said the living room was engulfed in heavy smoke, but it was the only way to reach the bedroom.
“The guys couldn’t see anything; they felt with their hands,” he said. A firefighter found the bedroom, entered it, closed the door, removed his oxygen mask and conferred with the couple.
A second egress from the bedroom was blocked by a bureau, so the firefighters moved it and ushered the couple to safety.
Shaken up, the couple were evaluated by AMR ambulance workers but refused transport to a hospital, Gamache said. They were not injured.
The fire is listed as accidental, blamed on the careless disposal of smoking materials into a wastebasket next to a recliner.
The fire caused an estimated $10,000 worth of damage.
Heavy smoke filled most of the second floor, and moderate amounts of smoke wafted to the third and fourth floors. Gamache said the other apartments are immediately habitable.
He said several factors played a part in keeping the couple safe: a working sprinkler system, the calm professionalism of the 911 dispatch team, and the efficient response of the Manchester Fire Department.
According to police, someone has been pulling the fire box alarms several nights over the past week.
“This is LIFE THREATENING stupidity on someone’s part,” said the post on the Manchester Information social media site. “If you did it and are reading this you are risking peoples’ lives for your prank.”
The Wednesday night alarm came from a box at the corner of Belmont and Blodget streets
Copyright 2016 The New Hampshire Union Leader