Manchester Man Who Died In Manchester 3-Alarm Fatal Fire Identified

MANCHESTER, NH — Manchester Fire, police, and AMR ambulance were dispatched Thursday to 245 Village Circle Way for several callers reporting a building fire.

Engine 4, housed about one mile from the location, could see the glow in the sky as they approached the area. When Engine 4 arrived at the scene, at about 10:50 p.m., they reported heavy fire on the balconies at the rear of the building.

Two of the three firefighters assigned to the engine stretched a hose line while one firefighter operated the pump. The two firefighters immediately reported several people trapped on the upper floors of the 3-story large apartment building.

Additional crews arrived and began evacuating occupants of 28 apartments and attempting to locate the trapped people.

A man was pulled from an area where there was heavy fire, suffering from extremely severe burns. AMR medics and firefighters immediately began CPR on the man and rushed him to a local hospital.

The man died at the hospital despite life-saving measures. The NH Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the victim, William Halloran, 55, of Manchester. The cause of his death was determined to be smoke inhalation, and the manner of his death was accidental.

Arriving personnel used ground ladders to access the upper floors while two ladder trucks were set up in the parking lot. As firefighters attempted to rescue the hydrant feeding, Engine 4 failed, requiring hoses to be run from alternative hydrants.

Due to the size of the building and the number of occupants, a second and third alarm was requested, bringing almost 100 firefighters to the scene, including off-duty personnel. Several cities and towns provided station coverage to the Manchester stations.

A second woman was brought out of the building to AMR medics, who provided her with medical attention and transported her to a local hospital. She was flown to a Boston hospital due to the serious injuries.

Several dogs and cats were rescued and reunited with their owners. AMR medics provided oxygen to a cat that had been rescued, and the cat survived.

Initial reports are no firefighters were injured, and it is believed only two people were transported.

The fire was brought under control at 12:42 a.m. and crews were expected to remain at the scene throughout the night.

The investigation into the origin & cause of the fire is active and ongoing by members of the NH State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Manchester Fire and Police Departments.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the NH State Fire Marshal’s Office at (603) 223-4289 or by email at fmo@dos.nh.gov.