Contractors credited with fighting fire

M. Dirk Langeveld/Sun Journal

Emergency responders examine damage caused by a fire at an Otisfield home Monday morning.

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- M. Dirk Langeveld/Sun Journal

M. Dirk Langeveld/Sun Journal

A fire caused minor damage to the exterior of a home in Otisfield on Monday morning.

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- M. Dirk Langeveld/Sun Journal

OTISFIELD — Two contractors and the recent snowfall were credited with stopping the spread of a house fire Monday morning.

Deputy Chief Don Woolley of the Harrison Fire Department said the contractors noticed smoke while driving along Route 117 and went to investigate. They found that the exterior at one end of the house at 8 Little Pond Lane had caught fire.

"They noticed it was on fire from the outside, so they just kept shoveling snow on it," Woolley said. "They're the ones who really saved this place."

The contractors had not been identified by Monday afternoon. The home, a single-story ranch house with an attached three-car garage, is owned by Matt and Eden Dunckel, both of whom were working at Bridgton Academy at the time of the fire. The couple's two dogs fled the house after firefighters entered the structure. One went missing for a couple of hours before returning.

Woolley said the fire was reported at 9:23 a.m. PACE Ambulance and firefighters from Harrison, Otisfield, Norway, Bridgton and Oxford responded to the scene, which is just over the border between Norway and Otisfield.

Woolley said it took firefighters about 20 minutes to put out the remaining flames. Route 117 was blocked off for a time as firefighters set up a system to run water up the hillside to the house.

The damage was concentrated around one end of the house and included burned siding, a broken glass door, and damage to the porch. Woolley said the damage was minimal and could be repaired.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation. Eden Dunckel said a bucket of ashes from the wood stove was being kept on the porch near the fire damage.

mlangeveld@sunjournal.com