By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Firefighters battled a stubborn blaze Saturday night as it burned the back of a Webber Avenue single-family home.

Fire crews from Lewiston and Auburn responded to 535 Webber just after 9 p.m. Saturday. They had the fire under control an hour later and were beginning to look for causes. The home was continuing to smoke at 11 p.m.

There were no injuries reported. None of the residents was home at the time, and firefighters were able to rescue the family dog, a cocker spaniel.

Neighbors Heidi and Tim Olehowski of 525 Webber Ave., had just walked down the Webber Avenue hill and past the house when they noticed flames shooting out of the back.

“I thought it was my house, first, so I ran back up the hill,” said Heidi. “We didn’t notice anything, no smoke or anything when we walked by the first time. And then, all of a sudden, there it was.”

Olehowski and other neighbors said the residents are new to the street.

“They’re just nice, quiet people,” she said. She was more familiar with their cars.

Neighbors clustered together on lawns facing the house as fire crews worked to finally put out flames on the roof. Other firefighters began working inside the house.

Four firefighters pushed open the garage door, and Jennifer Morin of 380 Webster St. gasped with relief. There was just one car in the garage. The family owns a truck as well.

“It looks like nobody was home, and that’s a relief,” she said. “I don’t know them very well. I’m more familiar with their cars.”

Neighbors gasped in relief minutes later when firefighters pulled the family dog from the house. Off-duty firefighter Bill Hart took the dog, sooty, wet and scared to his nearby Highland Avenue home until the owners could be contacted.

Copy the Story Link