Three people had to be rescued when a fire burned through an unoccupied building under construction and spread to a neighboring home in Rye, New Hampshire, early Tuesday morning.
The Rye Fire Department said they responded to the area of 1595 Ocean Boulevard (Route 1) around 1:20 a.m. Tuesday for reports of a building fire. Firefighters arrived at the scene and saw a home that was under construction and unoccupied fully engulfed in flames.
The fire had spread to a neighboring home that was occupied due to strong winds in the area. Firefighters immediately entered the home and were able to safely rescue three residents who were inside. They then began attacking the fire and were able to stop it from spreading to any other properties.
Photos from the scene showed a wall of flame erupting from the buildings at the height of the fire.
All three residents were taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, and have since been released. No firefighters were injured battling the blaze.
Crews remained on scene throughout the day Tuesday monitoring hot spots. The area remained closed to traffic on Wednesday morning.
The occupied home has been declared uninhabitable, and the fire department said the three residents who were displaced are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
An underground propane tank was also affected by the fire. The fire department said the tank is in stable condition but they would continue to monitor it until it has been emptied of its contents. They said there are no immediate concerns to the community.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Mutual aid was provided by 10 area fire departments, including Portsmouth, Seabrook, Hampton, North Hampton, Greenland, New Castle, Kittery, Newington, Newmarket and Stratham.
