Keene mayor, fire chief say three firefighters rescued after fast‑moving Elliot Street blaze; all released from hospital

Three Keene firefighters who were trapped on the second floor of a fast‑moving structure fire at 20 Elliot Street were rescued and treated at Cheshire Medical Center before being released, city officials said.

City Manager said the incident began at approximately 08:30 a.m., and the fire department issued a mayday when three firefighters became trapped on the second floor. “All 3 firefighters were transported immediately to Cheshire Medical Center. And at this time, they are in stable condition and even right now, they have been released,” the City Manager said during the council meeting.

Deputy Fire Chief Greg Seymour told the council the fire presented rapidly worsening conditions with high winds and building construction that gave the blaze “some lead time on us,” and that crews had to pivot quickly to rescue and treatment operations. Seymour said crews searched the first and second floors for occupants and then treated and transported the injured firefighters, praising their protective gear and training: “It would have been a very, different message to you this evening had they not been, in that protective gear.”

The city manager and Seymour thanked mutual‑aid partners. Seymour said about 70 mutual‑aid firefighters were on the scene, and roughly 105 firefighters worked the incident overall. Officials did not identify the firefighters by name during the meeting. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The mayor and council recognized the professionalism of Keene’s fire and police leadership and noted the emotional toll of the incident on responders. The council did not take any policy action during the verbal report. The deputy chief said the department will continue to evaluate gear, procedures and interagency coordination as the investigation proceeds.