Shed Fire Extinguished on Peter Road

Merrimack Fire and Rescue teams were sent to a fire on 3 Peter Road at around 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 16, 2015, according to Fire Marshal John Manuele. The fire was reported to be outside near a structure.

Peter Road is directly across the street from Merrimack Fire Station 2, however both Merrimack duty engines were at The Merrimack Premium Outlets Mall searching for a reported gas leak at the time of the call.

Engine 1, under the command of Capt. Matt Duke, responded from the Mall while Engine 2 under the command of Lt. Dan Newman continued searching for the gas leak. Merrimack Ambulance 1, Fire Chief Currier and Fire Marshal Manuele also began responding.

“While en route the responding units were notified that an electrical generator had exploded and the fire was rapidly spreading to a shed,” according to Manuele.

Upon arrival at 8:36 p.m., Engine 1’s crew found a fully involved canvas shelter fire with heavy flames also burning the outer wall of an adjacent wooden shed. The crew was able to quickly extinguish the fire and prevent it from damaging the interior and contents of the wooden shed. The crew then overhauled the area and checked for extension..

The homeowners were interviewed and it was determined that a gasoline powered generator was in operation due to an area wide power outage, according to Manuele. The generator suddenly shut down and the homeowners investigated and found a fire in the area of the electrical connection to the generator.

One person ran to the nearby fire station for assistance while the other attempted to extinguish the fire with a portable extinguisher. At this time the fuel tank ruptured and ignited the six gallons of gasoline it contained causing the fire to quickly spread.

Damage included the shelter, shed and generator as well as several bikes. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire was determined to be due to a malfunction in the generator. All Merrimack Units cleared the scene at 9:25 p.m. During the time of the fire several other calls related to the power outage were responded to by Engine 2 and off duty callback personnel manning Merrimack Engine 4.