Motorcycle accident in Alton Sunday sends 2 to hospital

ALTON — A motorcycle accident sent two people to the hospital with serious injuries on Sunday, and firefighters kept busy with a brush fire that same day, suspected to have started following a lightning strike days earlier.

According to Fire Chief James Reinert, at 12:44 p.m. on Aug. 31, firefighters were called to 1 Monument Square in downtown Alton for a collision between a vehicle and a motorcycle.

According to an Alton Police Department report, an investigation found a Mazda 6 sedan operated by Jolie Wolff, 23, of Rochester, was traveling westbound on Main Street and attempted to turn left onto Church Street. A Harley-Davidson driven by Michael Langley, 21, of Gilmanton, was traveling east on Main, and collided with the front right corner of the Mazda in the eastbound lane.

The motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet, and Reinert said there was a possible head injury, and other associated injuries.

“When we arrived on scene, the motorcyclist had sustained significant injuries,” Reinert said, adding the motorcyclist was initially unresponsive.

The motorcycle driver was taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, and Alton police said there were “serious injuries believed to be non-life-threatening.”

A male passenger in the vehicle was airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon for unknown injuries. An ambulance from Gilmanton transported the patient to the landing zone at Alton Central School.

The driver of the Mazda and a minor passenger were not injured. No updates to the health conditions of neither patients was available as on Tuesday afternoon.

Brush fire consumes 2 acres

The Alton Fire Department responded at 1:08 p.m. on Aug. 31 to a brush fire on Moore’s Farm Lane, which Reinert said was about 100 by 20 feet in size. The New Durham Fire Department arrived at the scene first and knocked it down within a few minutes. Both Alton and New Durham remained on scene for about 45 minutes to spray hot spots. The cause of the fire is unknown, but Reinert noted the area was very dry.

Later on Sunday, at 3:53 p.m., town firefighters responded to a large outdoor fire at 512 Drew Hill Road, which Reinert believes started from a tree being struck by lightning two days earlier. Reinert said firefighters located a tree at the scene which had been struck, and believed it had been smoldering until it finally caught fire before quickly spreading, due to the dry conditions. It ultimately burned about 2 acres of land.

The fire was called in by a plane operator, and town firefighters called for additional assistance, as they could not bring in forestry vehicles due to the location.

“We had a small UTV there, but this was all mostly by foot lugging in the equipment,” Reinert said. Access made it difficult getting water to the fire. "We ran hose lines from the road all through the woods because we couldn’t get larger vehicles in.”

Reinert explained the department needed to take water from a marina in Roberts Cove, as drought conditions made it difficult to draw from a nearby pond. Barnstead firefighters ran a tanker shuttle and refilled attack engines.

Additional departments responding included Barnstead, Belmont, Gilford, Gilmanton, Farmington, New Durham, Tuftonboro and Wolfeboro, and Stewart's Ambulance. Strafford Fire Department provided coverage, as well.

Reinert said fortunately the fire was contained to a wooded, rural area with no houses in close proximity. The fire was about 600 feet from the closest road.

Other calls

Alton firefighters also assisted New Durham with a three-car accident on Route 11 near Johnson’s Dairy Bar, and a medical call. Reinert said with a small department like Alton, having the assistance from surrounding departments was key.

“Just being a small municipality and small department with limited resources, we are appreciative of all the help we have coming to assist.”