Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS Nashua firefighters extinguish hot spots after bringing under control the Thursday morning fire that damaged the vacant building at West Hollis and Walnut streets. The cause is under investigation; there were no injuries reported.

NASHUA – City Fire Marshal Adam Pouliot said Thursday fire investigators and police detectives were in the process of locating people who may have information regarding the fire that damaged a vacant downtown apartment building Thursday morning.

Flames were shooting from the second floor of 38½ W. Hollis St. when the first firefighters arrived shortly before 7 a.m., Nashua Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Glen MacDonald said.

The four-unit, 7,000-square-foot building, sometimes referred to as 40 W. Hollis St. and 38½-40 W. Hollis St., has been owned by the city for about 14 months. It is one of four similarly old, deteriorating buildings set to be demolished this year as part of a rebuild-and-revitalize initiative by NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire, a nonprofit that builds affordable housing geared toward lower income residents.

The fire doesn’t change NeighborWorks’ plans for the property, neighborhood development director Jennifer Vadney said Thursday.

“The building was beyond repair anyway, so it doesn’t change anything,” she said, referring to the fire.

Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP Members of a work crew spent much of Thursday boarding up all the doors and windows at 38 1/2-40 W. Hollis St. after firefighters extinguished an early-morning fire that broke out on the second floor of the vacant building. Police and fire officials continue to investigate.

Once the roughly 120-year-old building is demolished, NeighborWorks will prepare the site and construct the new building, which will also house four units.

Vadney said the agency plans to do the work “in tandem” with a similar NeighborWorks construction project at 40 Pine St., which has already been cleared.

As for Thursday morning’s fire, Pouliot, the fire marshal, said the cause had yet to be determined.

“We do know squatters were in the building … we’re working with the police to locate people we want to talk to,” he said. “At this point, we just need to do some interviews.”

While firefighters were aware the building was vacant, and had been boarded up to prevent trespassers and so-called squatters from entering, crews promptly conducted a search while others battled the flames.

Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS Nashua firefighters extinguish hot spots after bringing under control the Thursday morning fire that damaged the vacant building at West Hollis and Walnut streets. The cause is under investigation; there were no injuries reported.

“Even if a building is known to be vacant, we always assume there are people inside,” Pouliot said.

It’s been determined the fire started in a second-floor apartment, but additional circumstances, such as whether the fire appeared accidental or deliberately set, remain part of the investigation, he added.

MacDonald, the deputy chief, said four engines and two ladder trucks responded to the fire, which was reported by a series of callers who saw flames and smoke coming from the upper story.

The fact the windows and doors were boarded up in an attempt to discourage unlawful entry, it also presented a challenge to crews trying to work their way inside to battle the fire.

By Thursday afternoon, several men were at the scene pulling sheet after sheet of plywood from a truck and fastening them over all doors and windows for extra security.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256, dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com, or @Telegraph_DeanS.

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