Norway house gutted by fire; owner escapes with dog

NORWAY — A man and his dog escaped through a window of his burning home on Emerson Road on Friday afternoon, Assistant Fire Chief Tim Yates said Friday.

Gordon Barker suffered a small cut on his arm as he crawled through the window of his one-story ranch home near the intersection of Pleasant Street, Yates said.

“We believe (the fire) started in the kitchen, possibly on the stove,” Yates said. A passerby reported seeing smoke pouring from the house and called for help, he said.

An investigator with the Office of the State Fire Marshal was at the scene to investigate the cause, which had not been determined as of Friday evening, Yates said.

Between 25 and 30 firefighters from departments in Norway, Paris, Oxford, Poland, Bridgton, Harrison and Waterford responded to the call at about 1:30 p.m. Tanker trucks hauled water to the scene.

PACE ambulance and the American Red Cross were also on hand to assist Barker.

Yates said the interior of the house was gutted, and he estimated the damage at between $50,000 and $100,000. He said a relative of Barker advised that the home is insured.

: ESCAPED — Smoke pours from Gordon Barker’s home at 4 Emerson Road in Norway on Friday afternoon. Barker and his dog escaped through a basement window, Assistant Fire Chief Tim Yates said.