Fire routs more than a dozen in Lincoln; community rallies to help
Apr. 28—The community is rallying around more than a dozen people who were displaced from their apartment building on Main Street in Lincoln after a massive three-alarm fire destroyed it Saturday afternoon.
One firefighter was taken to the hospital as a precaution, according to Fire Chief Ron Beard.
An ice cream shop, Udderly Delicious, was on the bottom floor of 121 Main St., which was consumed by the blaze. Officials deemed the building a complete loss, but two nearby businesses were saved from the intense flames as black smoke billowed through the downtown area.
Many have rallied around the people left without a place to live in the popular resort town that doesn't have many affordable options. Nine out of the 10 apartments were full with new tenants set to move in this week, Beard said.
The Lincoln Fire Department received a call about a blaze on the second-floor porch just after 1 p.m., which quickly engulfed the front of the building.
"It was fully involved on the Main Street side," the chief said.
Crews were able to make sure nearby businesses, including the Gypsy Cafe and El Greco's Pizza, were protected against any flames spreading.
Mutual aid crews helped establish a water supply and bring in water using tanker trucks. Firefighters from at least 14 different departments responded to help.
Firefighters battled intense fires across the state on Friday and Saturday, including one that left a woman dead in Nashua, in addition to brush fires.
One Littleton engine also responded to Lincoln and a crew simultaneously responded to a propane leak, according to Littleton Fire Rescue.
Plymouth Fire-Rescue had battled two fires earlier Saturday morning at 4 a.m. on Pleasant Street and the other just after 7:40 a.m. on Old North Main Street, according to news releases. Four adults and one juvenile were displaced in the Old North Main Street blaze.
The Pleasant Street fire destroyed a detached garage while the home on Old North Main Street "received heavy fire damage to all three floors and is considered a total loss," a news release said.
"In the past seven days, Plymouth has experienced three building fires and many other unusual emergencies," Deputy Chief Kevin Pierce said in a statement. "This is abnormal for the area, but all emergencies were mitigated with professionalism and safe fire ground operations."
The Red Cross of Northern New England assisted two adults following a fire on Friday on Kenney Road in Loudon. The organization also set up Sunday in the training room at the Lincoln Fire Department to help those displaced from the Main Street fire.
Encore Thrift Shop operated by Loon Mountain Ministry helped provide clothing for those displaced. Area businesses donated food and beverages to those battling the blaze.
The cause of the Lincoln fire had yet to be determined.
"It could take a while to figure out the exact cause of it," Chief Beard said.
Beard mentioned the difficulty of losing the apartments given the lack of workforce housing in the town and across the North Country in general.
"This is really a big hit to the community," he said.
Growth at Loon Mountain Ski Resort and RiverWalk Resort has caught the attention of town officials and developers alike to find solutions to the housing shortage in town.
Sarah Umberger, who works as a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Realty, immediately reached out to other landlords trying to find new places for the displaced residents.
"It is one of the only buildings in town with local, affordable housing," she said. "Part of it feels like a cruel trick from the universe."
The building was fully insured, but it's unknown how much the rebuild will cost. Fewer units might be considered given the costs.
"I've had probably about a dozen people reach out who do have vacant properties in town," Umberger said.
One Love Brewery posted a GoFundMe link for one of their workers who lost everything, including his car.
"Fortunately, Mike and his cat Nova were unharmed, and everyone in the building was able to escape with their lives. He escaped barefoot with his cat and the clothes he was wearing," the business wrote on Facebook.
Another tenant was working at Black Mountain Burger when the building went up in flames. Another GoFundMe was created on his behalf.
"Joe has to start from scratch so anything you can donate to help him rebuild and get back on his feet will be greatly appreciated," the post reads.
