MANCHESTER, NH — Two dogs perished in a two-alarm fire at 330 Porter St. on Monday.
Fire crews were dispatched at 10:14 a.m. to the residence. Arriving companies encountered a two-story wood-frame structure with heavy fire on the second floor. The fire appeared to be coming from the right side, although the cause was not yet determined. Initial companies made an aggressive interior attack coordinated with outside ventilation.
Occupants were home at the time of the fire, and evacuated the building. They did notify command staff that there were two dogs still inside the home. A search was conducted for the dogs about 10 minutes after the arrival of fire crews, and the dogs were located and pulled from the building. Unfortunately, both dogs had succumbed to smoke inhalation and resuscitation efforts at the scene were unsuccessful.
No other injuries were reported.
Previous events at this address had left the attic space exposed. This resulted in rapid-fire spread and increased intensity for firefighting personnel.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. District Chief Jim Michael estimated the damage at $150,000.
