When you ask Stacey Robitaille what three of her best friends need in order to subsist through the holidays, you’ll get a lengthy pause.

It’s not a simple question when your brother and two men who are almost family just lost everything.

“Well, clothes are the main thing,” said Robitaille, after breaking that thoughtful silence. “Food, of course. And a lot of small stuff.”

Five people reportedly lived in two cottages on a busy stretch of Route 126 in Sabattus. One of the tenants was Stacey’s brother, Steve Robitaille. Two other friends, landlord Andy Castonguay and Jason Seger, lived there, too.

Fire broke out the night of Nov. 8. Investigators believe the blaze started near a Monitor heater in one of the buildings, then spread to the neighboring dwelling before firefighters converged from four towns.

Two dogs died in a backyard kennel. All the residents survived.

“But everything else,” Steve’s sister pointed out, “was gone.”

Life’s a game of inches. While Stacey solemnly spearheads the task of rebuilding lives, nearby households sigh with relief that they were spared.

Charred remains

Some two dozen year-round camps are arranged like dominoes, circling private roads leading to the water. The high winds that gusted across Sabattus Pond that night fanned flames that threatened the well-traveled, adjacent road to Lewiston.

Breezes could have blown differently, destroying other houses. Could have, but didn’t.

The cottages stood next to an abandoned building that once housed the snack bar and arcade at a public beach. A stone’s throw away sits a popular fishing hole, although many of the summer anglers have already traded tackle boxes for cartons of ammunition.

Fishing or hunting for belongings in the rubble would yield only soot-covered shoes.

There are the charred remains of a washer and dryer. Pieces of scorched plastic. Shreds of pink fiberglass insulation. A disabled sedan sits in the driveway, its make, model and original color a mystery now that paint and chrome have melted.

“To make matters worse, Andy was between insurances,” said Stacey Robitaille, “so there’s no money to replace what was lost.”

Family, friends and local merchants are trying to fill the gaps. Robitaille said that Castonguay, Seger and her brother are “living night-to-night,” sleeping on couches and guest beds.

Warden’s, a Lewiston nightclub, held a fund-raiser last Saturday night. Two other establishments followed suit.

Hannaford offered a gift certificate for food.

“It was a lot for them to give,” said Robitaille, “but by the time everybody split it up, it didn’t last long.”

Clothing, too

Although shelter and food are the most pressing needs, clothing isn’t far behind. One fire victim needs to order most of his shirts and pants through a big-and-tall catalog.

If Robitaille is seeking a silver lining during this first experience of soliciting good will, she can be thankful it’s November, when heartstrings and purse strings aren’t yet stretched to the max.

She knows the three men will need furniture and appliances. Then she looks around her small kitchen in Lewiston and wonders where she’ll store it.

“I’m the only really stable place to store things,” she said. “That makes it tough.”

Financial gifts are practical. Friends and strangers are being encouraged to drop off their returnable bottles at Rooper’s on 794 Sabattus St. in Lewiston. Just notify the folks at the redemption center that you’re donating the proceeds to the Sabattus fire victims.

But if you’re willing to part with a stash of clothing, kitchen utensils or even a used big-ticket item, contact Stacey Robitaille at 754-0474.

“The best things right now are day-to-day stuff. Little stuff,” she said, “that we all take for granted.”

Kalle Oakes is the Sun Journal’s columnist. His e-mail is [email protected].