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Warner reports March garage fire; remediation under way and insurer coordinating repairs
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Summary
A March 18 fire at the Town of Warner highway garage heavily smoke‑damaged vehicles and the building interior; town staff said PrimeX and the insurer are coordinating cleanup, with some work possibly charged to the town’s CIP and an estimated 8–10 month repair timeline.
A March 18 fire at the Town of Warner highway garage damaged one dump truck beyond repair and left other equipment and much of the building interior contaminated by heavy smoke, a highway department official told the select board on March 31.
The highway department official said the blaze likely began with one dump truck and that smoke detectors had triggered after equipment heated to roughly the detector activation point. “The Town of Warner Fire Department did an incredible job,” the highway official said, praising the response and describing heavy smoke and toxic residues in the garage interior.
Town staff said the board contacted PrimeX and the town’s insurer immediately; PrimeX conducted a walkthrough the next morning and has been coordinating contractors and adjusters. Town staff said PrimeX and the insurer (named in the meeting record as working with a Portsmouth‑based claims representative) will pay many remediation costs directly, though some repairs or upgrades could require the town to pay up front and seek reimbursement. A staff speaker said PrimeX indicated coverage “100%” for items it values and agrees to, while the town will still obtain multiple quotes for major work.
The official said several pieces of heavy equipment—“the grader and the backhoe”—were sent to dealers for inspection and repair, and the town had a rental grader to continue highway work. He said interior items such as vents, seats and headliners remain contaminated and require detailed cleaning or replacement and that insulation and electrical work had to be quoted because smoke compromised those systems. The official estimated it could take roughly eight to ten months to complete repairs and restore the garage to full service.
Board members discussed whether to replace the insulation “in kind” or pursue a retrofit; the highway official recommended replacing panels and resetting metal siding given the building’s age (indicated in the meeting as late 1990s). The official also recommended considering upgrades—additional lighting, more windows, commercial fans and filtration—while the garage is reconstructed.
Town staff asked the public and board for contractor recommendations and said they would work with PrimeX on scope. The board noted that some funding for upgrades might come from the capital improvement program (CIP).
What happens next: PrimeX and the insurer will continue adjuster visits and remediation; the town will obtain quotes for major electrical and insulation work and return to the select board with scope and funding proposals.
