An apartment was damaged, but there were no known injuries to people or animals in a fire on Church Street in Keene on Monday afternoon, according to Deputy Fire Chief Gregory Seymour.
Firefighters responded to a call about a smoke alarm and odor of plastic at 116 Church St. around 2:45 p.m., Seymour said. Firefighters traced the alarm and odor to a second-floor apartment.
There was minimal damage to the building’s exterior, according to Seymour, who said the apartment where the fire started was damaged and smoke lingered throughout the second floor.
The area was closed to traffic at first responders’ arrival and was still closed about an hour later. Seymour said the road would likely reopen within the next hour, although firefighters would remain on scene to work on determining the cause of the fire and making sure it doesn’t rekindle.
In a news release, fire officials estimated the damage between $75,000 to $100,000. The apartment had no working smoke detectors, but the second floor had smoke alarms that sounded in the hallway, though many tenants stayed in their apartments, thinking it was a false alarm, according to the news release.
Brandon Waterman, who lives on the third floor of the three-story, multifamily home, said he drove home as soon as he could after getting a call about the fire.
He told The Sentinel he was concerned about smoke damage and potentially needing to find somewhere else for him and his daughter to stay.
“Material things can be replaced, that’s all fine; I’m just glad nobody was hurt,” Waterman said.
James Rinker can be reached at 603-355-8569, or jrinker@keenesentinel.com.
Abigail Ham can be reached at 603-355-8554 or aham@keenesentinel.com.
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