Staff Writer

LACONIA — Investigators are working to determine the cause of a two-alarm fire Sunday night that left six families temporarily homeless.

Laconia Fire Chief Ken Erickson said the initial caller reported a dumpster fire at the rear of 639 Union Ave. at 8:23 p.m. Within minutes, 911 received a flurry of calls reporting that the back of the apartment building was on fire.

Laconia Fire Capt. Michael Drake called for a first-alarm when he spotted flames as he was cresting "Coca-Cola hill" on Oak Street within four minutes of the first call for help.

Crews arrived to find an attached shed engulfed in fire, with flames leaping toward the roof of the two-story, six-unit building.

Erickson said while the department was able to quickly bring the fire under control, he called for a second alarm at 8:36 p.m. to bring in more manpower in the event the blaze got ahead of them.

Firefighters quickly searched the entire building to make sure everyone had gotten out. No injuries were reported.

Victoria Guay, who lives in a ground floor apartment in the brick section of the building fronting Union Avenue, said she was washing dishes when she heard someone knock on her door and yell "fire." She woke her fiancée and they both hurriedly went outside.

Pornchai Sonvannasy, who lives in the second-floor apartment closest to the fire, said he heard the smoke detectors sounding, smelled smoke and quickly left the building with his girlfriend and two children. When he looked back, he recounted that he saw the flames.

Khamsone Keophila, who also lives in a second-floor apartment in the front of the house with her parents and several cousins, said she awoke to the sound of the buzzing of smoke detectors. She walked into the hallway to investigate but said because of a stuffy nose she didn’t smell smoke. All of her extended family was able to escape safely.

Charlie Roffo, the Laconia Fire Department’s fire prevention officer and fire investigator, was called to the scene late Sunday night to help pinpoint what caused the blaze.

Tenants said the attached shed was used to hold trash. Chief Erickson declined to speculate on what sparked the fire.

Erickson said he had spoken with residents of three apartments that collectively housed nine people. The occupants of the other three apartments had not been accounted for last night. The majority of the tenants said they planned to spend the night with family or friends.