Fire destroys two barns at Dover farm, kills horses and chicks: 'Devastating loss'
DOVER — Two horses and several chicks were killed in a fire that destroyed two barns Sunday morning on Back Road, according to city Fire Chief Michael McShane.
A fire at Phoenix Stables, owned by Hickory Hill Farm, was reported to the Dover Fire Department just before 6 a.m. Sunday. Heavy smoke could be seen by Dover firefighters on the drive to 245 Back Road, where responders located a 25-foot by 100-foot barn on fire and the blaze spreading to another barn similar in size.
No civilians or firefighters were injured in the fire, and several horses were saved, McShane said.
The two-alarm fire was undetected and was exacerbated by the wind, according to the chief. Next to the burning barns was a residential structure that was close to the flames.
“Initial suppression operations were focused on protecting the exposed residential building,” McShane wrote in a statement on the blaze. “Initial rescue operations were focused on evacuating residents from the house and evacuating horses from the stables.”
With the property located outside of Dover’s fire hydrant district, fire crews established a water line. The chief credited the duty crew with “utilizing a digital GIS mapping program in the fire apparatus while en route to coordinate fire company assignments for relay pumping operations. Preplanning relay pumping operations proved to be invaluable, which allowed for an uninterrupted water supply for the duration of the entire operation.”
The fire was deemed under control at 7:14 a.m. Sunday. One of the barns stored farm tractors, equipment, hay storage, while the other had the chicks and horses that perished.
“The fire resulted in a devastating loss for the owners,” McShane said in his statement. “Given the extent of fire development prior to detection, the wind conditions, and remote water source, the best possible outcome was achieved.”
From roughly 6:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Back Road was closed from Middle Road to Mallard Lane. Firefighters cleared the scene at 12:21 p.m. Sunday.
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The cause of the fire remains under investigation but does not appear to be suspicious, McShane noted.
On-scene mutual aid was provided by firefighters from Durham, Somersworth, Rollinsford, Newington, Portsmouth, Rochester, and Lee. Station coverage was provided by McGregor EMS and numerous New Hampshire and Maine fire departments, including from Barrington and Newmarket, as well as Berwick and South Berwick.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Dover Hickory Hill Farm fire destroys two barns, kills horses, chicks
