Second-Alarm Garage Fire in Sunapee Brings Mutual Aid, Red Cross

A second-alarm fire heavily involved a detached garage at 638 Route 103 in Sunapee, prompting Chief John Galloway to upgrade the response while en route and drawing multiple mutual-aid departments and town agencies on Feb. 27, 2026. The blaze left the small building a total loss, no civilian or firefighter injuries were reported, and the American Red Cross was contacted to assist displaced residents.

Dispatch and on-scene times show Sunapee Fire was sent to Route 103 at 11:01 a.m.; Chief John Galloway observed a large plume of black smoke and elevated the call to a second alarm at 11:09 a.m. Sunapee Engine 2 and Utility 2 arrived at 11:15 a.m., and the command downgraded to a first alarm at 11:16 a.m. once it was apparent the structure was a total loss. The fire was declared under control at 11:53 a.m., and crews remained on scene through 2:09 p.m. to extinguish hot spots.

Firefighters reported the building measured roughly 20 by 30 feet and was fully involved and collapsed by the time apparatus reached the property. Crews encountered significant access problems because an unplowed driveway and steep terrain prevented larger fire trucks from reaching the structure. Sunapee Utility 2, equipped with a snow plow, cleared the driveway to permit approach, and Sunapee Utility 1, a forestry vehicle, was used to fight the flames and shuttle water from tankers staged on Route 103.

Mutual aid came from Newport Fire Department, New London Fire Department, and Goshen Fire Department, with additional on-scene support from Sunapee Police, Sunapee Highway, New London Hospital EMS, and Newbury Fire. The New London Fire Department also provided station coverage and answered a separate medical call in Sunapee during the incident, allowing local coverage to continue while mutual-aid crews assisted at the fire.

A social-media post from a local bystander identified an alternate address, 94 Hamel Rd, and claimed the fire was extending to the main house per a unit labeled C7; that account has not been confirmed by fire command. Sunapee Fire posted a separate timeline saying crews spent just under two hours fighting the blaze and declared it under control at 16:36, a control time that differs from the earlier on-scene timeline and remains under review.

Sunapee Fire has thanked the mutual-aid departments and town agencies that responded. An official run report and dispatch logs are expected to reconcile the differing times and the exact property address, and the town will release additional details about displacement and any Red Cross assistance once those records are complete.