Morning after the fire: Devastation in the charred rubble on Spruce Street

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MANCHESTER, NH — A sad reminder of the devastation caused by a three-alarm fire Saturday on Spruce Street. By Sunday morning the property owner and a worker remained at the scene securing the building and protecting what they could from people entering the building.

Stuffed animals lay on the ground among the charred boards. A bicycle, melted and mangled, remains in a pile of debris in front of the house.

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10 people were displaced in the fire, which could be seen for miles and turned daylight into darkness from the heavy smoke.

According to the people responsible for the building, they have been told the fire started on the second-floor porch on the east end. The fire appears to have started in an area where an ashtray for cigarettes was located.

MFD fire investigators have not released the official findings of their investigation as of Sunday.

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According to industry statistics close to 1,000 deaths and 3,000 injuries in the United States are caused by fires that originated from cigarettes. 20 percent of all fire deaths are caused by cigarettes and it is the nation’s largest cause of fire deaths.

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Manchester Fire did an incredible job keeping the fire from spreading to the adjacent buildings. One building had melted siding, and one car in from of the building was significantly damaged.

Red Cross is assisting the tenants of the building.