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Township officials praise statewide mutual aid after large Lacey Township fire; sheltering, communications and one industrial loss noted
Summary
Officials and residents described a large fire that burned tens of thousands of acres near Lacey Township, praised firefighters and mutual aid, confirmed no loss of life and noted one commercial structure loss; residents raised concerns about emergency notifications and cellular/internet reliability.
Township committee members and residents described a large, historic fire that affected Lacey Township and nearby areas and praised firefighters, police and mutual-aid partners for response efforts during the April 24 meeting.
A township official who identified themself as the mayor described the incident as a "historic fire event" and said mutual aid from across the state helped prevent loss of life and widespread structural damage. "As of today, there's not been 1 single loss of life. There's not been 1 single single family home lost structure," the mayor said, adding that the volunteer fire companies, county and state partners and town staff conducted evacuations and sheltering.
Committee members and other officials said the response involved county and statewide mutual aid, shelter moves to Manchester, and support from school-district bus drivers who provided buses for evacuations. One committee member noted a commercial building loss at a local business park, identifying the site as Liberty Garage Doors.
Residents who spoke at public comment described disruptive conditions during the event, including power outages and inconsistent cell service. One resident urged the police department to improve collection of cell-phone contact information for emergency alerts; another warned that internet-based phone systems did not receive some emergency landline-style calls during outages.
Richard Bidnick, speaking as a Lacey resident, described the evacuation and the emotional impact of the event and thanked responders. "If the wind hadn't changed, things would be entirely different," he said. Several residents and committee members also mentioned extended smoke and that fire-suppression work might continue for an extended period.
Officials reiterated reliance on mutual-aid agreements and county resources. The committee said it would conduct an after-action review at a future meeting to summarize lessons from the incident and formalize follow-up steps.
No formal policy changes were adopted at the meeting on fire response or emergency communications; committee members used the public-comments and committee-comments portions of the meeting to record thanks, situational updates and requests for follow-up.
