Some residents found themselves trapped, resorting to jumping out of balconies to escape the heat and smoke
One person has died, and eight others are injured, including one in critical condition, after a fire tore through an apartment building in New Hampshire on New Year’s Day.
The fire began at the four-story Manchester’s Executive Manor Apartments shortly after midnight local time on Thursday, Jan. 1, and spread quickly, according to ABC affiliate WMUR, Fox affiliate WFXT and NBC affiliate WHDH. As a result, some residents found themselves trapped, resorting to jumping out of balconies to escape the heat and smoke, WMUR reported.
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“They were jumping from the balconies. The fire started on the third floor so that’s what we’re going to start looking now, getting in the building,” New Hampshire State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said, according to WMUR. “We just finished interviews with all the occupants. We believe the fire started on the third floor. And it prevented people from getting out into the hallways.”
Officials said eight people — including the one in critical condition — were taken to the hospital, the outlets reported. The person who died has not been identified at this time.
Crews who responded to the scene rescued residents of the building using ladders and bucket trucks, and a child trapped in a fourth-floor bedroom was among those saved, according to WFXT.
The outlet reported that some 40 people live in the building, and of those, 10 families are now displaced. WMUR reported that the Red Cross is on the scene assisting them.
Following the response of fire crews, the blaze was under control around 1:50 a.m, according to WMUR. An investigation into the blaze is ongoing.
“We are just trying to provide comfort care at the moment. We’re trying to provide some food and assistance while we wait to find out determination from the fire marshals and investigators,” Red Cross official Allyson Stanczyk said.
