Burning Barrels At Industrial Site Cause Smoke Condition On Locke Road In Concord: Watch

CONCORD, NH — Concord fire and rescue teams were sent to an industrial building on Locke Road Tuesday night for material burning in barrels and off-gassing from lithium-ion batteries in a storage container.

Just before midnight, capital region dispatch received an alarm activation at North Coast Services at 44 Locke Road. According to its website, the company handles regional waste and recycling.

When the fire commander arrived, they saw smoke but no flames on the exterior of the building. Another firefighter reported an odor of “burning rubber” at the site. Dispatch began trying to reach a property representative due to firefighters being unable to get to a section of the building. After gaining access, firefighters confirmed a smoke condition on the first floor of the building in the entryway hallway.

“What kind of smoke condition?,” one firefighter asked, wondering if more firefighters needed to be called.

Dispatch then sent more firefighters and an ambulance to the scene to standby.

Firefighters found barrels, with smoldering materials inside, in a corner of the building.

“We’re going to be here for a while,” the commander said.

One said most of the materials around the barrels were “universal waste.” They confirmed, too, that they were going to be there for a while. Dispatch said there were lithium batteries in the facility, according to fire department information, and the commander requested a hazmat team and building representative.

Just before 12:30 a.m., a working fire was called, and firefighters from Hooksett and Loudon and EMTs from Hopkinton were requested to assist with mutual aid in the city.

Firefighters moved the barrels out of the building and checked for fire extension. They did not find any, according to scanner chatter. Firefighters set up fans to air out the building due to “heavy smoke conditions throughout,” the commander said.

“We are dealing with the off-gassing from this, what appears to be a lithium-ion battery storage container,” they said. “We’ll be on scene for an extended period of time.”

News 603 posted a video from Locke Road on Facebook earlier this morning.

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