By Dan O’Brien
The Union Leader
ALLENSTOWN, N.H. — Two firefighters were seriously injured while fighting a brush fire over the weekend at Bear Brook State Park, fire officials said yesterday.
A 58-year-old firefighter was rushed to Concord Hospital after suffering a heart attack on Saturday, according to Fire Chief Dan Hart, who would not give the man’s name.
Hart said the firefighter was taken out of intensive care yesterday and is expected to recover.
A second firefighter suffered a laceration Saturday and required hospitalization.
The fire started about 9 a.m. Saturday on Catamount Hill and initially reached three alarms. Fire crews from eight surrounding towns and a crew from the New Hampshire Forestry Service assisted. About 4 acres of parkland burned, authorities said.
Most firefighters left the scene about 2:30 p.m., but Forestry Service members stayed on scene overnight to watch for hot spots.
Allenstown firefighters were called back to the area when fire broke out again about 7:30 a.m. Sunday. The last of the firefighters left about 2 p.m.
Hart said the fire likely started because of “misuse of cooking materials” near a hiking trail.
Deputy Chief Rob Martin said the hilly terrain made getting to the fire difficult.
“We couldn’t drive our vehicles to it,” Martin said. “There were too many cliffs and rocks.”
Firefighters had to use hand tools and water pumps attached to backpacks to douse the flames. At one point, Martin said, they were able to use a six-wheel off-road vehicle from the Loudon Fire Department.
Hart described the fire as stubborn, with flames going downhill, which is unusual. He said it’s also rare that a fire flares up during the night.
“This fire did not obey the rules of woodland fires,” he said.
There have already been two major brush fires in Allenstown this year, compared with only one for all of last year. Hart attributes that to the February windstorm, which felled many trees.
“If we have a dry summer, next fall’s going to be murder,” Hart said. “Hope for rain this summer.”
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