Manchester Police officers on patrol first alerted residents to the fire.
MANCHESTER, NH — Fire caused heavy damage to a two-story multi-family residence early Thursday morning following a heroic effort by three Manchester police officers.
Manchester Fire crews responded to 312 Cypress St. at about 3:15 a.m. to find heavy fire coming from the rear porches, which had spread to both floors of the home. The blaze was called in by Manchester Police officers Ian Fleming and Barry Charest, who spotted the fire while patroling. Several people were evacuated, and no injuries were reported.
Realizing time was critical, Fleming and Charest ran inside the burning building as they began the process of evacuating residents.
Officer Alexander Martens arrived on scene and assisted in breaking down the front door of the residence. One of the residents, Timothy Carr, 35, met the officers at the front door and advised them that additional people were asleep inside of the home. The three officers escorted Carr to safety, and entered the house. However, the heavy smoke and extreme heat forced them to exit the home and reposition toward the east side of the property where they located another individual on the first floor.
They were able to remove a window and pull David Provencher, 34, through the window to safety. Provencher told police two others were sleeping in the rear bedroom, so Officer Martens and Charest went to the west side of the building and helped remaining residents, Jonathan Nickerson, 32 and Janessa Flood, 31, both of Cypress Street, to safety.
The officers also cleared a neighboring residence at 308 Cypress Street due to the intense heat and flames. Officer Martens was treated for smoke inhalation at an area hospital shortly after the incident and released a short time later. The residents of 312 Cypress Street most likely escaped injury due to the swift actions of the alert officers. No additional injuries were reported.
Firefighters brought the fire under control by 5 a.m. following an aggressive interior attack.
Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers will meet with the six families displaced and make sure they have a safe place to sleep and have food, clothing, and other essentials. Over the next several days, Red Cross client casework volunteers will stay in contact with the families and provide referrals as they begin their recover from their losses.
The fire remains under investigation by the Fire Marshals office and a cause has not been determined, but initial investigation does not indicate a suspicious fire.
Estimated damage is $75,000.
Officer Fleming has been serving the Manchester Police Department since July 2006. Officer Charest worked in Weare, NH Police Department for two years prior to joining our agency in September 2014. Officer Martens joined the Manchester Police Department in March of 2015 after serving two years in the Chesterfield Police Department.
In New Hampshire and Vermont, a family is displaced by a disaster, usually a home fire, on average every 20 hours. You can help people affected by disasters like home fires and countless other crises by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org/NHVT, call 1-800-464-6692, or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
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