By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- A three-alarm fire broke out Saturday morning at the Sig Sauer facility at 233 Exeter Road in Epping, New Hampshire, injuring one firefighter.
- Crews were dispatched around 10:42 a.m. and found smoke coming from a roughly 200-by-100-foot, two-story commercial building; an interior attack was launched but crews temporarily withdrew to defensive operations due to the fire’s volume before reestablishing an interior attack.
- The fire was declared under control at about 12:07 p.m., with 18 departments and agencies responding through mutual aid.
- The injured firefighter was treated at Exeter Hospital for minor injuries and released.
- The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating; officials said the fire does not appear suspicious. It is the second fire at a Sig Sauer New Hampshire facility this year, following a July 27 titanium-related explosion at the company’s Exeter plant that seriously injured an employee.
EPPING, N.H. — A three-alarm fire tore through the Sig Sauer facility in Epping Saturday morning, injuring a firefighter and drawing a large mutual aid response from surrounding communities, according to fire officials.
The Epping Fire Department was dispatched to the facility at 233 Exeter Road around 10:42 a.m. for a fire alarm, with automatic mutual aid from the Brentwood and Lee fire departments. The first-arriving engine reported smoke coming from a roughly 200-by-100-foot, two-story commercial building, and firefighters entered through a side door to begin an interior attack.
Due to the volume of fire, a second alarm was requested. Crews had trouble reaching parts of the structure and temporarily pulled back to defensive operations while additional companies arrived and established a water supply. As access improved, crews reestablished an interior attack, cutting multiple openings into the metal-clad building because of limited windows and access points. Four handlines operated inside simultaneously, with crews rotating through the structure, and a third alarm was called for additional personnel.
The fire was declared under control at about 12:07 p.m., though crews remained on scene for an extended period conducting overhaul operations. One firefighter was taken to Exeter Hospital with minor injuries, treated and released. Route 27 was closed during the response between North Road in Brentwood and Route 125 in Epping.
Departments and agencies that responded included Epping, Exeter, Kingston, Brentwood, Lee, East Kingston, Newfields, Newmarket, Durham, McGregor Ambulance, Stratham, Raymond, Candia, Sandown, Rye, Chester, Fremont and Nottingham.
The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating; officials said the fire does not appear suspicious. It marks the second fire at a Sig Sauer facility in New Hampshire this year. On July 27, an explosion involving stored titanium at the company’s Exeter plant seriously injured an employee, who suffered burn injuries and was flown to a Boston-area hospital. Exeter fire officials said at the time they were continuing to investigate that incident’s cause.