Just after 4:00 PM in the afternoon on Monday the Lyndonville Fire Department was dispatched to a reported car fire on Charles Street, after neighbors heard what was described as an explosion. Firefighters arrived on the scene within minutes and immediately called for a second alarm, as the car fire had extended to buildings surrounding the vehicle. This fire has displaced multiple residents and at least one NVU community member, who are all currently working to find new accommodations with the American Red Cross.
A safety officer from the Lyndonville Fire Department told The Critic that her house, roughly 500 feet south of the fire and only a block away, was filling with smoke, even with all of her windows and doors shut tight.
After the fire spread to another house and the neighboring Stay & Play Daycare Center, the third and fourth alarms were rung, bringing dozens of firefighters across Vermont and New Hampshire to the scene. Fortunately, all occupants of the three buildings safely evacuated and were accounted for, including all children attending the daycare center and multiple pets in the houses.
Charles Street was closed for multiple hours as firefighters fought flames shooting out the roofs of the buildings with multiple ladder trucks. Firefighters stayed on scene until the next morning to ensure no hot spots or flare ups would cause any more damage than already caused.
Unfortunately, two of the buildings were complete losses due to water and fire damage, with another possibly being saveable, according to one West Burke firefighter on Facebook. Smoke from the blaze was visible both from the NVU campus and from multiple other towns, with one resident stating that they could smell it from downtown St. Johnsbury.
The cause of the initial car fire is currently being looked into with both the Lyndonville Fire Department and the DPS Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit.