MANCHESTER, NH – An early-morning fire on the Queen City Bridge has been ruled accidental by Manchester Fire Department following an investigation.
At approximately 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 17, 2021, the Manchester Fire Department was called to the Queen City Bridge for a reported fire.
Crews arrived to find fire on top of and below the bridge in the area of the construction work being done to repair the bridge. The fire was found to involve the temporary forms and wooden structure that had been built for new concrete forms on the bridge. Inside this temporary structure was a propane construction heater to keep the newly-poured concrete above 50 degrees so it could properly cure.
After talking to the general contractor of the project it was learned that the heater was operating at the time of the fire.
This fire is classified as accidental and the cause is related to the heater.
The Queen City Bridge is open to traffic at this time and was not damaged by the fire.