MANCHESTER – Just before 11 a.m. Saturday morning, Manchester Fire Department was dispatched to 34-36 Norman Street for a report of a bird’s nest burning next to their house’s gutter.
The first crews on scene noticed moderate smoke and fire issuing from the gable vents of the attic.
Firefighters searched the house and saw that all five occupants had safely evacuated the structure.
Crews were able to extinguish the blaze to the attic and parts of the second floor of the house.
The house has been deemed uninhabitable by the local building department until repairs can be made.
The displaced tenants will have alternate housing assistance from the American Red Cross and the Manchester Human Services Department.
The Manchester’s Fire Marshal’s Office is conducting a cause and origin investigation, though they believe the fire started when a metal gutter came loose in high wind gusts, making contact with incoming power lines from the street.
The electrified gutter apparently set fire to some combustible debris in or adjacent to the gutter at the rear of the house. The fire than appears to travel into the attic where it spread rapidly.
