Loudon crews dug underground to fight nearly 10-acre fire

Firefighters near Old Shaker Road in Loudon, New Hampshire, had to dig for the fire they were fighting. Beneath visible flames about two feet high, roots and tree debris were burning underground. Crews cut through that material with specialized tools, working into the early hours of Sunday before returning later that morning. ¹

By Sunday evening, November 1, 2026, Fire Chief Thomas Blanchette believed the nearly 10-acre wildland fire was completely out. He reported no visible smoke. But a further check was still planned: crews would return Monday, November 2, with the Forest Protection Bureau and a heat-sensing drone to look for remaining hotspots. No completed inspection or findings have been established in the available reporting. ¹

That distinction matters here. The chief’s assessment was encouraging, but the absence of smoke was not a thermal inspection of ground that had been burning beneath the surface.

Blanchette described a slow, creeping fire rather than a fast-moving one. Dry conditions and wind helped it spread, while the ground itself complicated the work of putting it out. Part of the affected land had been logged a couple of years earlier, leaving branches, dead stumps and other debris among logging roads. ¹

The reported flame height—about 24 inches—captured only the visible part of the incident. Firefighters also had to reach burning roots and buried tree material. There is no established measurement of how deep the fire burned or how far it traveled underground, and the account does not identify it as a peat fire. What is documented is the hands-on work of digging and cutting to reach burning material. ¹

The response began on Saturday evening, October 31. WMUR’s initial report that night said its crew saw trucks from at least four towns, along with forestry vehicles. Blanchette later said firefighters worked until about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, November 1, then returned later that morning to continue fighting the fire. ^{3 1}

Getting enough people to the scene took time. Blanchette said the holiday and weekend made mobilizing crews difficult, with the response ultimately involving just shy of 40 firefighters from the surrounding area. That describes a difficulty during this incident; it does not establish a broader staffing shortage or quantify how much the response was delayed. ¹

The Forest Protection Bureau worked alongside Loudon firefighters. Responding departments included Hooksett, Allenstown, Pembroke, Epsom, Chichester, Pittsfield, Canterbury and Salisbury, according to WMUR’s follow-up account. Concord and Belmont firefighters covered Loudon’s other active calls while crews worked the wildland fire. ¹

That coverage was another part of the response: neighboring departments helped fight the fire while others kept firefighters available for calls elsewhere in town. The incident required more than the crews digging near Old Shaker Road. ¹

The fire began in a marshy area, which Blanchette described as an unusual starting place. Crews reached the area where it originated but could not identify the ignition source. ¹

Dry conditions, wind and leftover logging debris help explain the circumstances firefighters encountered. They do not establish what started the fire. Nor does the unusual origin area supply an answer on its own.

Blanchette urged people to pay attention to outdoor fires, smoking materials and wood stoves during the dry conditions. That was prevention advice, not a finding that any one of those caused this incident. The available account also does not establish whether there were injuries or structural damage; neither their presence nor their absence should be assumed. ¹

The remaining operational question is narrower than the cause investigation: whether heat was still present beneath the ground. Monday’s planned drone check was intended to look for residual hotspots. Until its outcome is documented, Sunday evening’s report stands as the chief’s assessment that the fire was out—not confirmation that the underground heat check was finished. ¹