Staff Writer

LACONIA — A one-alarm fire heavily damaged an apartment building at the intersection of Union Avenue and High Street Tuesday leaving seven people homeless.

Officials said the fire at 141 Union Ave. was discovered at around 1:30 p.m. It started in the garage at the rear of the building and spread rapidly to the second floor and attic area.

Fire Chief Ken Erickson called for a first alarm because of the close proximity to another building nearby. Intense heat from the fire melted siding on the home next door, which is just 5 feet away.

"The only thing which kept it from spreading to that house was that the siding was made from a non-combustible material. It was asbestos siding," the chief said.

Erickson estimated damages in excess of $100,000. He said none of the tenants — nor the building’s owners — had insurance.

The neighboring home did receive some damage.

Erickson, who was on Beacon Street East at the time of the alarm, said heavy smoke and flames were shooting out of the 2½ story building when he arrived. He helped man a hose until other firefighters arrived.

Firefighters and equipment from the Belmont, Winnisquam, Gilford, Meredith and Tilton-Northfield fire departments were called to the scene. Holderness covered the Weirs station and Gilmanton covered Central Station.

The first attack by the firefighters was to the garage area. They were in the process of knocking the fire down when it flared up.

Erickson said a crew reached the second floor and was able to knock down the fire before it spread to the two apartments in the front of the building.

The chief said materials that ignited in the building’s garage and attic caused the fire to spread and made it difficult to extinguish.

It took firefighters about 45 minutes to bring the fire under control. They were on the scene until 4:40 p.m.

Four of the occupants were in the home at the time. They sat on the embankment of a nearby home watching the firefighters. They declined to be interviewed.

The building is owned by James McCloud of Londonderry, according to city records.

The garage and a vehicle parked inside it were destroyed. The second floor apartment was heavily damaged. Firefighters who entered the building said the two front apartments, one on each floor, received some smoke and water damage.

Shortly after the fire started, Mark Penney and Josh Mazzei of Public Service of New Hampshire arrived on the scene to disconnect power to the home. They were working on a line in the area at the time.

Erickson said John Southwick, an investigator with the state Fire Marshal’s Office, was assisting in the investigation. The cause has yet to be determined.

Representatives from the Greater White Mountains Chapter of the American Red Cross responded to provide assistance to the firefighters and the occupants of the building.

The electrical system in the home was destroyed.

"It will be a long time before anyone can move back in there," the chief said.

Police shut down Union Avenue to all traffic and diverted it around the fire scene but this did not stop scores of spectators from lining the streets to watch the fire and efforts to contain it.