LEBANON — Amid frigid temperatures, Upper Valley firefighters responded to three blazes on Wednesday morning.

Authorities are investigating a suspicious two-car fire off South Main Street that occurred in the wee hours of the morning.

There also were structure fires in Lebanon and Windsor that caused damage to private property. 

At approximately 3 a.m. Wednesday, the Lebanon police and fire departments responded to reports of a fire behind Town Fair Tire on South Main Street in West Lebanon, according to a Lebanon Police Department news release issued Wednesday afternoon.

Crews discovered two vehicles on fire in a wooded area behind the business used for overflow parking. 

The Fire Department extinguished the flames, but the cause of the blaze “remains undetermined, and an investigation is actively underway,” the release said. 

A few hours later at about 6:20 a.m., Lebanon fire crews responded to 270 Meriden Road in Lebanon for a fire in a detached workshop on a residential property. 

Lois Kidder, the owner, was asleep when someone banged on her front door to alert her to the fire,  she said by phone Wednesday afternoon. “By the time I looked out my window, the person was driving away.”

There were no injuries, but the building was a “total loss,” Lebanon Fire Chief James Wheatley said by phone Wednesday afternoon.

The cause of the fire is not believed to be suspicious, he added.

Kidder’s son used the workshop for welding, forging, and laser engraving, she said, but because it is unheated and uninsulated, he hadn’t used it in months. She is unsure of what might have started the fire. 

“I’m still in a state of shock,” she said. 

Approximately 20 firefighters battled the blaze, bringing it under control within an hour, Wheatley said.

Hanover and Hartford fire departments assisted Lebanon in its response. 

A few hours later, at 9:20 a.m., emergency crews responded to heavy flames in a garage attached to a private residence at 3528 Route 44 in Windsor. 

There were no injuries in the fire.

Two people, two dogs, and a pet gecko were all in the house when the fires started, and all escaped safely, Windsor Fire Chief Kevin McAllister said.

The property, owned by Liz Bleakley and Nachiket Kumar, includes a roadside farm stand and a cheese cellar where Bleakley operates Good Hands Creamery, a raw-milk cheese operation.

The small garage was destroyed, and the residence sustained some smoke damage, but was otherwise intact. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

Shortly after crews arrived, the electric service line to the house fell in the road and began sparking.

Green Mountain Power responded quickly to shut off electricity and remove a downed wire, McAllister said. 

Crews from Windsor, West Windsor, Reading, Ascutney, Weathersfield and Hartland brought the blaze under control by about 10 a.m., McAllister said. Cornish Rescue personnel were also on scene. 

As crews fought the fire, traffic was blocked at the intersections of Route 44 and 44A and at Route 44 and Ski Tow Road.

At the scene, the owners declined to comment.

The cold weather posed challenges for emergency responders throughout the morning.

The temperature in Lebanon was 11 below zero at 3 a.m., according to the National Weather Service, rising to just zero by 10 a.m. 

“In these types of conditions a we have equipment that freezes up, and slip-and-trip hazards for the people on scene,” Wheatley said. 

Also a problem is that the coats and pants worn by firefighters are thick and “they almost freeze in place” when they get wet, Wheatley said, making it difficult to move around. 

The Lebanon Police Department is investigating the car fire behind Town Fair Tire and asks anyone who may have information to call 603-448-1212.

 Information can also be submitted anonymously to a tip line at 603-448-CLUE,    or online at LebanonNH.gov/CLUE.

Christina Dolan can be reached at cdolan@vnews.com or 603-727-3208.