Overview
- The Sap House at The Preserve at Chocorua, which partially collapsed during a wedding Saturday, sent about 70 people into the basement and left six adults hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
- State fire officials confirmed the building had no place-of-assembly permit required for gatherings over 100 people.
- Investigators reported 144 people were inside the roughly 800-square-foot space and said the fall created an opening about 20 by 20 feet.
- Venue staff and guests gave first aid and used ladders to help people out before crews declared a mass-casualty incident and flew one patient to Maine Medical Center.
- The State Fire Marshal’s Office is reviewing fire and building code compliance as Tamworth lacks a local building enforcement office, a gap that could spur tighter checks at similar sites.