Five people displaced, firefighter injured in fire at Manchester duplex, officials say
A firefighter sustained minor burns in a fire at a duplex in Manchester that displaced five people, according to the Manchester Fire Department.
Firefighters responded to a fire at 95 Cedar Street in Manchester on Thursday morning. There was heavy fire on the first floor of the multi-family home. The fire quickly extended to the second floor and into the attic, fire officials said.
Cluttered living spaces and the balloon frame construction made extinguishing the fire difficult, but crews were able to get it out in around an hour, according to fire officials. A balloon frame construction utilizes long pieces of wood to frame the whole house, rather than frame it by floors, so a fire can travel faster up the beams without interruption from fire stops, Manchester Assistant Fire Chief Joshua Beaulieu said.
The building’s five occupants were out of the house when firefighters arrived or were not home at the time of the fire, the department said. There were three occupants in the upstairs unit and two in the downstairs unit, Beaulieu said.
A firefighter suffered minor burns during the blaze, according to the department.
The Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
