Sunapee fire call turns out to be furnace smoke buildup

A smoke call on Birch Point Road brought Sunapee firefighters into a full structure-fire posture, but the fast-moving response ended with crews finding a malfunctioning furnace-boiler system, not an active blaze.

The Sunapee Fire Department was dispatched at 8:25 a.m. Tuesday, May 19, to a home in Sunapee after a report of possible building fire with smoke inside the residence. Mutual aid was requested immediately from the New London, Newport and Springfield fire departments, and the incident was upgraded to a 1st Alarm Structure Fire before crews had fully sized up the scene.

Sunapee Car 1 arrived at 8:32 a.m. and found a two-story wood-frame residence with nothing showing from two sides. Firefighters confirmed that every occupant had already evacuated safely before anyone went inside. Lieutenant Timothy White established Birch Point Command and conducted a 360-degree size-up, giving crews the information they needed to narrow the response and focus on the source of the smoke.

Once inside, firefighters found the problem was not a structural fire. The smoke had built up because of a malfunction in the home’s furnace/boiler system. New London Engine 1 stayed on scene to help ventilate the structure, while the other mutual aid units were canceled before arrival. The incident was under control by 8:45 a.m., and all units had cleared by 9:05 a.m.

For residents, the key lesson is straightforward: if you smell smoke or see smoke inside a home and cannot immediately explain it, everyone should get out and call 911 from a safe location. Quick evacuation gave Sunapee crews room to work safely and kept a dangerous call from becoming a worse one.

The response also fits into a busy stretch for Sunapee firefighters in 2026. The department’s recent incidents page includes a Jan. 15 reported building fire at 381 Lake Ave, a Feb. 26-27 run of two building fires in about 12 hours that included a 1st Alarm Structure Fire on Hamel Road, a March 19 chimney fire on Perkins Pond Road and a March 22 electrical fire on Pleasant Place. Sunapee Fire has said its mission is to protect life, property and the environment through emergency response, fire prevention, public education and community service, and New Hampshire’s statewide fire and all-hazards mobilization plan helps make that kind of mutual-aid response possible across town lines.