A devastating early morning fire on Orange Street in Nashua claimed the lives of two residents on Tuesday, prompting a multi-agency investigation and pushing New Hampshire's fire fatality count near last year’s total.

Emergency responders were dispatched around 3:30 a.m. following reports of a blaze that had already spread significantly throughout the multi-unit structure. Firefighters arrived within minutes, but intense flames forced command to immediately call for a second alarm to bring in additional personnel and equipment.

Crews initially worked to protect two neighboring structures from the advancing flames while battling the main blaze. As conditions rapidly deteriorated, an emergency evacuation was ordered for all personnel inside the fire building after the building's roof collapsed.

According to a property manager, the building housed seven individual units. Residents home during the incident reported hearing smoke alarms before smelling smoke. One alert tenant went door-to-door, frantically banging on entrances to wake and evacuate neighbors.

Tragically, two fatalities occurred as a result of the incident:

Apartment 6 Occupant: Preliminary reports indicate the fire originated in unit #6, where firefighters located a deceased male occupant. While authorities have not officially released his identity, neighbors noted the victim was deaf, which may have hindered his ability to hear the alarms and evacuate in time.

Second Male Occupant: Firefighters located a second male victim during initial operations and immediately pulled him from the building. First responders performed CPR on scene before transporting him to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.

Official identities, as well as the cause and manner of death, will be released pending autopsies by the New Hampshire Medical Examiner’s Office.

If both fatalities are officially confirmed as fire-related, they will bring New Hampshire’s fire death toll to 15 t