Sunapee fire crews respond to smoke at Lake Avenue home

Smoke inside a Lake Avenue home sent Sunapee firefighters and mutual aid units racing to the scene late Saturday, only for crews to find that the scare came from the house’s HVAC system rather than a working structure fire. The call quickly showed how a mechanical malfunction can look like a house fire until crews get inside and sort out the source.

The alarm came in at 10:12 p.m. on Saturday, May 23, for a reported smoke condition at the Sunapee residence. Sunapee police arrived two minutes later and confirmed visible smoke and a strong odor, which prompted additional help from Newport Ladder 3 and Croydon Tanker 2. Sunapee Engine 2 arrived at 10:20 p.m. and found nothing showing from the exterior of the large two-story wood-frame home, but firefighters entering the building confirmed a moderate smoke condition inside.

Crews tracked the problem to the HVAC system and brought the incident under control by 10:45 p.m. Firefighters stayed on scene for ventilation until 11:13 p.m. Mutual aid companies that assisted included New London Engine 1, Springfield Tanker 1, Newport Ladder 3, Croydon Tanker 2 and New London Ambulance 4. Sunapee Fire said only six personnel were available because the call came during a holiday weekend, a reminder of how quickly a small local department can be stretched when a smoke report turns into a full building response.

The department classified the incident as a 1st Alarm Building Fire, a label that reflects how seriously smoke conditions are treated even before flames are visible from the street. That caution is not abstract in Sunapee: on Jan. 15, crews were also called to 381 Lake Ave for a separate smoke and fire incident that was upgraded to a 1st Alarm Structure Fire Response after the homeowner reported smoke inside the building.

Sunapee Fire reported 694 calls for service in 2025, underscoring the workload behind a primarily on-call volunteer department. After the Lake Avenue response, the department again pointed to the basics that matter most in a smoke event: working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, a fast evacuation, and calling 911 immediately when a home begins to fill with smoke or carries a strong burning odor. For Lake Avenue and the rest of Sullivan County, the weekend call was a close call that ended safely, but only because crews reached the house before a bad HVAC problem became a bigger emergency.