By GORDON D. KING
Staff Writer
GILFORD — A first-alarm fire heavily damaged a
mobile home in Lake Breeze Park on Monday morning,
leaving a local woman homeless.
The home’s owner, Yvette Johnson, was about to be
discharged from Lakes Region General Hospital when the
fire occurred shortly before 9 a.m., according to Fire
Chief Michael Mooney. No one else was inside the
residence at the time, he said.
 |
|
A Belmont firefighter works to contain a one-alarm
fire that gutted the home of Yvette Johnson at the
Lake Breeze Park in Gilford Monday morning.
(Citizen Photo/Daryl Carlson) |
Mooney said the fire started in the bathroom of the
home located at 9 Sargent Place, lot 27. An
investigation determined that the motor in an overhead
fan in the bathroom overheated and triggered the fire.
The fan had been running since Sunday, the chief said.
An investigator from the state Fire Marshal’s
Office assisted departments in the investigation.
"There was heavy fire halfway throughout the home
when we arrived. There is very little salvageable in
it. Flames were shooting out of the windows. The rear
section including the kitchen is totally destroyed,"
he said.
The owner’s two cats perished in the fire.
Laconia Fire Chief Kenneth Erickson, who was en
route to work at the time, spotted smoke from the fire
and entered the park looking for it when the alarm was
sounded.
"I saw the smoke and tried to find the fire," he
said.
Erickson said the first firefighters on the scene
were three from Laconia and three from Gilford, plus
two off-duty people.
"They got two lines laid and attacked it
vigorously," he said.
Mooney said the firefighters were able to enter the
home and do an interior attack to knock down the fire.
"They did a great job," Mooney said.
A representative from the Greater White Mountain
Chapter of the American Red Cross is providing
emergency clothing and food to Mrs. Johnson, Mooney
said, adding that she plans to stay with a family
member.
Red Cross volunteers also provided coffee and
snacks to the firefighters.
The fire was discovered at 8:44 a.m. Mooney asked
for a first alarm at 8:57 a.m.
"We had plenty of water but we needed more
manpower," he said.
Laconia, Belmont and Meredith responded at the
scene to assist Gilford. Alton and Winnisquam provided
cover trucks.
