Cruiser collision sends officer to the hospital
ERRY — Two Derry police cruisers collided on April 22 while traveling northbound on ByPass 28. At approximately noontime, the cruisers were heading north, when one turned to begin chasing a speeding motor vehicle, heading in the opposite direction. One officer was taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Mother of accident victim files suit against landlord
DERRY — The mother of a Derry girl who fell from a three-story apartment window is suing her landlord, citing problems in maintaining the building.
Documents filed at Rockingham Country Superior Court say Rebecca McNulty alleges the building's owner, 26 S. Main St., LLC, failed to keep the property safe, leading to her 4-year-old daughter Cynthia's fall from the window on April 11, 2006.
The child was not seriously injured, but was taken to Parkland Medical Center in Derry for treatment.
In court documents, Atty. Richard G. Sheehan said McNulty watched her young daughter fall and has since suffrered emotional distress. The woman seeks an unspecific amount of money in damages, according to records.
Two other daughters, Danielle and Bryanna, are also named victims in the suit.
Suspicious brush fire scorches 20 acres
LONDONDERRY — About 50 firefighters from a dozen communities helped battle two suspicious brush fires in the Musquash Conservation Area Monday afternoon.
The first fire was reported around 12:30 p.m. by a hiker off Hickory Hill Road. Attendants in two fire towers assisted firefighters in finding the location of the fire, according to fire Chief Kevin MacCaffrie.
That fire burned about 5 acres in the southern part of the dense woods and was under control in about an hour, MacCaffrie said.
But while crews were battling that blaze, they discovered another fire burning about a quarter mile to the north. That fire consumed about 12-15 acres, and took several hours to extinguish.
By 6:30 p.m., MacCaffrie said both fires had been contained, but crews planned to be out again Tuesday to check on hot spots.
"We don't want anyone to be out there overnight," he said. Firefighters armed with rakes and picks canvassed the heavily wooded area, digging trenches around the edge of the flames that ranged from a couple of inches to a couple of feet high. The small break in brush and dry leaves creates a barrier that slows the fire from spreading, Capt. Mark Tetreault said.
In just a few minutes, a crew of about 10 firefighters from Auburn was able to stop a couple hundred yards of the fire from spreading while another group set up a pump in a small pond to help extinguish the blaze.
MacCaffrie said the fire is being considered suspiciousbecause of the two separate locations.
Today is expected to have an even higher danger because of the high temperatures and blowing wind, MacCaffrie said.
