CLAREMONT NH -- An early evening fire raced to a General Alarm at the Belfon Machine and Whipple Paper Products Company, part of the Old Joy Manufacturing company located at Main and Central Streets. The fire for Box 21 had Conflagration potential (per C-1). A second alarm on arrival was requested by 56C2 for the fire in the old mill district. The fire jumped the river and involved other structures.



This is part of the beginning of 80 minutes of audio we have a link to providing some intense radio traffic. Radio traffic includes Claremont and Southwest NH Dispatch Center in Keene.

CONTENT ADVISORY: There are portions of the audio containing mild cursing and using the Lord's name in vain.
Incident audio - 80 minutes, 5 Megabytes
Audio courtesy of AA1TT

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Charlestown , Walpole, North Walpole and Saxtons River with large diameter hose were dispatch on the second alarm
Ladder and Pumper from Newport, 2 engines from Cornish

Wind conditions caused multiples fires in the area jumped the river and started a 6 story foundry on fire also. Pre-Plan -36 Engines, 18 ariels and 441 Firefighters at the scene. Even before the second alarm was fully dispatched, 56C1 requested a third and fourth alarm for box 21.

Apparatus List (partial): From audio recording Claremont Engine 1 Claremont Snorkel 1 Claremont Engine 3 Claremont 56C2 Claremont 56C1 Claremont Engine 4 Cornish Engine Cornish Engine Saxton's River Charlestown Engine 1, Lg Diameter Hose Walpole North Walpole Bellows Fall Ladder Meriden M1 Meadowood Ladder. Newport Ladder Newport Engine 3 Ascutney Ladder Ascutney Engine 3 Unity Plainfield 1 Plainfield 2 Springfield VT Ladder Sunapee Ladder Goshen Hartford VT 2-0 Brattleboro VT Westminster VT 71 77 79 Officer Level Personnel Newport C1 Claremont C1 Claremont C2 Claremont C4

Claremont Engine 3 c.1994 Claremont Fire Station Feb 1979

OTHER BIG FIRES IN CLAREMONT:

May 16, 1874 - Claremont - NH - Sugar River Paper Mill - Bleach explosion blows out west wall of building killing one worker and causing $20,000 damage

Mar 29, 1879 - Claremont - NH - Tremont House (hotel built 18??) gas explosion with fire - 40 guests in building at time - Four killed - Occupants were jumping from 2nd and 3rd floors - Fire spread to two large barns, a tin-shop, harness shop, boot and shoe shop, and a dressmaker shop

May 25, 1887 - Claremont - NH - Sullivan Street at Pleasant Street - Brown's Block (later Union Block) containing Post Office, stores, a meat market, and adjacent building with 2 stores and tenements totally destroyed by fire - $50,000 loss

Mar 30, 1890 - Claremont - NH - North Street - 7 family tenement building burned

Apr 15, 1892 - Claremont - NH - House, barns and other buildings at old town farm completely destroyed by fire

Claremont Engine 4 c.1990

Jan 30, 1893 - Claremont - NH - Mulberry Street near Railroad crossing - Monadnock Mill storehouse, filled with bales of cotton nearly destroyed by fire despite the abundance of water and ample fire equipment

June 06, 1979 - Claremont - NH - Old Joy manufacturing company Main Street- Large mill building with oil soaked floors. Multiple alarm-(Pre-Plan). Smoke was blocking the sun at times and could be seen over 35 miles away.

Nov 29,1987 - Claremont - NH - 4th Alarm - Old Joy foundery on North Street. 4 alarms, 100+ firefighters at the scene. (**North Street near the Sugar River - Abandoned 6 Story factory building - old Joy Manufacturing Co. - Heavy damage to four floors)

Incident audio - 80 minutes, 5 Megabytes