Any fire is bad enough, but add a six-alarm blaze to a densely populated neighborhood, and much could go tragically wrong.
This was the scene at Ash and Vine streets in Nashua almost two weeks ago. The great news is that there were no fatalities, but some 30 residents were displaced, and cars and a music studio were destroyed. That’s heartbreaking, especially before the holiday season. The big question is, how did the 6:30 a.m. fire start?
The latest update from Nashua Fire Rescue’s Fire Marshal, Michael DuVarney, is that the raging fire broke out on the rear outside porch area of 108-110 Ash St. The blaze quickly spread to 115 Vine St., and several nearby residences also sustained exterior damage due to the intense heat. At this time, the fire remains under investigation.
I visited the area several days later on a blustery afternoon, and you could hear wind chimes tinkling next door and remnants of the apartment building’s siding and other debris creaking in the wind gusts. It was an eerie feeling.
Mayor Jim Donchess praised Nashua Fire Rescue for responding “with full force” against the “biggest fire we’ve had in a long time” and quickly bringing it under control, considering its size and scope. He also thanked multiple fire departments that came to the Gate City’s aid with additional manpower, trucks and equipment from “Lowell, Manchester, Hudson, Merrimack, Pelham, from just about everywhere.”
The six-alarm fire erupted in Ward 4, and Alderman Tom Lopez was on his honeymoon aboard a cruise ship when he was alerted. His heart sank as he watched it unfold from a distance as Nashua firefighters made a maximum effort to knock down the fire and bring it under control. Lopez says that he and his ward worry when fires break out in the inner city because the potential for tragedy is greater there.
“Whenever people are launching fireworks to celebrate something, or whenever we’re talking about the unsheltered, I bring it up because people stay in abandoned buildings or occupy cellars because they want to stay warm,” Lopez explained.
Ward 4 has many old buildings that can rapidly go up in flames, placing firefighters’ lives in danger, Lopez added. Big unexpected events like this one should make city officials more mindful about “how we budget for code enforcement, how we support the office of emergency management and how we can coordinate these resources.”
Alderman Lopez makes a valid point about how the city can help those affected and/or displaced during a crisis. “We should have a designated area or a rally point … or maybe roll up a bus that people could gather in.”
Fighting fires is a dangerous, difficult and stressful job, and these brave men and women deserve community support, especially during local budget time. Meanwhile, U.S. Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, a native Nashuan, is beaming with pride that the bipartisan legislation she championed, H.R.1269, Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, passed the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.
Goodlander calls N.H. firefighters American heroes: “In passing the Honoring our Fallen Heroes Act, we honor their service and sacrifice by taking another step toward delivering long-overdue justice to the families of fallen American heroes who died from cancers they developed in their service to our country. I will not quit until this bill becomes law.”
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is an original co-sponsor of this legislation, Sen. Maggie Hassan is a co-sponsor, and Congressman Chris Pappas is a co-sponsor.
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