Firefighters knock down car fire threatening Exeter condo building

EXETER — A sprinkler system helped keep a car fire from spreading to a condominium building earlier Sunday morning.

Exeter firefighters responded to a fire alarm at 7 Willey Creek Road, Building A, at 2:56 a.m., according to Fire Chief Eric Wilking. When crews arrived at the scene, they found a vehicle on fire in the parking garage under the building.

Sprinklers activated and kept the fire small, but Wilking said crews had to stretch a line to extinguish the burning vehicle. A first alarm was called until crews could determine the extent of the fire.

Residents of the four-story condo building were evacuated but were allowed to return to their units after about an hour. Fire crews remained on the scene until 6 a.m. to remove smoke and the smell of gasoline from the garage, stairways and hallways.

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Wilking said no one was hurt and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“This fire certainly had the potential to spread, but the sprinkler system and quick work of our crews kept it at bay,” said Wilking. “The incident is a good reminder about the effectiveness of a working sprinkler system.”

Newmarket, North Hampton, and Durham assisted at the scene, while Kingston and East Kingston provided station coverage.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Firefighters knock down car fire threatening Exeter condo building