A two-alarm fire destroyed a duplex apartment building at 273-275 Elm St. in Lakeport Monday.

The fire was spotted shortly after 5:30 p.m. and equipment and personnel from Laconia and four neighboring fire departments were called in to bring the blaze under control. Flames, whipped by stiff winds, poured out of the roof and windows on the top floor of the building for about an hour before area firefighters were able to contain it.

Laconia Fire Chief Ken Erickson said 30-mile-per-hour winds made it difficult to fight the fast-moving blaze. He said the winds pushed the fire straight through the building. They also made it difficult for crews to put out the flames.

Erickson said at one point it looked like the fire was going to blow through the roof. Crews had to saw a hole into the roof to ventilate the attic.

Smoke from the fire could be seen from Union Avenue as firefighters were rushing to the scene. Erickson said the dispatcher even saw smoke from the Central Station a mile away. A second alarm was called by first responders before they even got to the scene because of the amount of smoke.

RAY MONGEAU/CITIZEN PHOTO AN AERIAL LADDER gives firefighters a better angle to attack a two-alarm fire at a duplex apartment building in Lakeport. Click here to view Foster's prints for sale

Julia Chesley, who lives in the duplex next door, said she and her sister returned home to find the road blocked off and her neighbor's house on fire. Firefighters would not let them back into their home until about 7:30 p.m. she said.

"Smoke was billowing out of the building," she said. "The water from the hose was freezing on all the cars, my car was covered in smoky, frozen ice."

The building, owned by Scott and Tracey Durgin, appeared to be a complete loss, Erickson said. The fire drew a crowd of neighbors and others. Bystanders said the Durgins had done a considerable amount of renovating over the past few years.

The duplex, assessed at $229,300, was built in 1920 and is in a thickly settled residential area. No other homes were damaged but those living on either side of the burning building were evacuated as a precaution.

No injuries were reported, but Erickson said battling the flames took a toll on firefighters. The cold weather caused problems for crews because water on sidewalks and in driveways from the hoses froze shortly after impact and formed ice on the heavy, soggy uniforms and helmets of the crews.

Two cats were saved from the burning residence. One was found in the basement long after the fire was put out.

Courtesy photo/Gordon D. King Flames shoot out of the attic of a home on Elm Street in Laconia Monday evening. Click here to view Foster's prints for sale

The building was occupied when dispatchers received multiple 911 calls. Erickson said the family living in the duplex will be displaced. Neither the homeowners nor any residents were available for comment Monday evening.

The Laconia Fire Department was assisted on scene by the Belmont, Gilford, Meredith and Tilton-Northfield Fire Departments and Franklin Fire Department and Meredith EMS covered the Laconia station.

RAY MONGEAU/CITIZEN PHOTO FIREFIGHTERS battle a two-alarm blaze that sent flames shooting through the roof at a duplex apartment at 273-275 Elm St. late Monday afternoon. Click here to view Foster's prints for sale