VIENNA – A fire destroyed a house and attached garage Tuesday morning at the corner of Bean Farm and Tower roads, located off Route 41.
About 50 firefighters from eight departments including Chesterville, Vienna, Mount Vernon and Fayette responded to the fire that was reported just after 9 a.m, Vienna Fire Department safety officer Barry Emery said Tuesday afternoon.
The fire is believed to have started in the garage, he said.
“Pretty much everything was lost, except one side of the house,” Emery said.
Most of the 1-story house was gutted except for a couple of rooms, he said. No one was injured, he said.
Carol O’Connell, one of two women who live in the house, was home at the time of the fire. She was able to get out of the house after a neighbor notified her when he saw the smoke, Mount Vernon Fire Chief Dana Dunn said.
Dunn said the fire didn’t seem to be suspicious but he called in state fire investigators in an attempt to determine the cause. Maine Forest Service Ranger Kent Nelson also was at the scene.
Three of the investigators, including Sgt. Ken Grimes, were still at the scene Tuesday afternoon, Dunn said. Firefighters went back into the home to salvage some some items the women requested, including antique dishes.
Two cats died in the fire, Dunn said.
At the same time the house and garage were burning, Dunn said, a grass fire burned just under an acre of field.
The women are staying with friends, Dunn said, and are insured.
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