State authorities are investigating a fire that broke out early Sunday at the former Laconia state school property, according to officials.

The fire started around 3 a.m., burning down a three-story building on the property. The initial crews that arrived on the scene requested aid from other fire departments around the Lakes Region, according to Laconia Fire Chief Jim Joubert.

“[The fire is] under investigation because the building was abandoned,” Joubert said. ‘There was no power. There was no utilities. So the fire just didn’t start by itself.”

But Joubert said it may prove challenging to gather much more information because of how extensive the damage was. State authorities are now leading the investigation.

Joubert said that no one was harmed fighting the fire and that, because the property was vacant, crews focused on containing the fire from outside the building, not risking sending anyone inside. It took crews about two hours to get the fire under control, he said.

The 217-acre parcel was purchased by Pillsbury Realty Development in 2024, after the state struggled to sell the property for years prior. Other buildings on the property are also abandoned.

A man drowned while swimming with friends in a pond in Swanzey, New Hampshire, Sunday. 

The man, 42-year-old Fredy Gavilanes Jami of Ecuador, was swimming with three friends in Wilson Pond Sunday afternoon. The group was near the shoreline, but Gavilanes Jami went underwater after entering an area of the pond with a steep drop-off. His friends initially did not notice his disappearance, according to New Hampshire State Police. 

Wilson Pond is about 72 acres, with 3,240 feet of shoreline. It has a maximum depth of 15.7 feet. 

Once they noticed Gavilanes Jami was missing, his friends called for help. Bystanders called 911 and attempted to help but were unable to bring Gavilanes Jami to the shore. An officer from the Swanzey Police Department was the first to arrive on scene. They immediately entered the pond and removed Gavilanes Jami. 

State Police Marine Patrol officers were notified of the reported drowning at 3:36 p.m. They responded to the scene alongside the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and first responders from nearby communities. 

They attempted lifesaving measures at the scene before Gavilanes Jami was transported to Cheshire Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. 

The exact circumstances surrounding Gavilanes Jami’s death are under investigation, but authorities do not believe it was suspicious. 

SWANZEY, N.H. (WHDH) – An investigation is underway after a man apparently drowned while swimming in a pond in Swanzey, New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon.

Officers responding to a reported drowning at Wilson Pond around 3:30 p.m. learned Fredy Gavilanes Jami, 42, of Ecuador, had been swimming with three friends near the shoreline when he went into an area with a steep drop-off and went missing, according to police.

The first office arriving at the scene found Gavilanes Jami and pulled him from the water. He was taken to Cheshire Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The incident remains under investigation.

Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Trooper First Class Micah Jones at Micah.A.Jones@dos.nh.gov or (603) 724-8026.

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