LEWISTON – A fire that destroyed a home on Old Lisbon Road late Tuesday night started in the entryway into an ell, a fire official said Wednesday.

The cause of the blaze remained under investigation a day later, said local Fire Inspector Peter Morrell.

There was “no obvious source of ignition” in that area, Morrell said, only some boxes in storage belonging to the brother of homeowner Frank Corrao.

Those boxes contained some combustible items, such as clothing, Morrell said, but nothing that appeared to have started a fire.

“It’ll probably be under investigation for awhile,” he said.

All of the electrical wiring in the house had recently been upgraded, Morrell said.

He estimated damage at between $160,000 and $200,000. The home at 55 Old Lisbon Road was not insured.

“I can’t imagine somebody wanting to take that risk,” Morrell said.

He said Corrao has another home in Scarborough and he has had offers for shelter from people locally.

The 64-year-old homeowner was awakened in his first-floor bedroom and pulled to safety by two local police officers, who were responding to the fire call at about 10:15 p.m. They threw a cinder block through his window to gain entry. A dog also escaped injury.

Flames still licked at the basement shortly before noon on Wednesday, about 12 hours after the blaze broke out Tuesday night.

Firefighters were seeking to douse the fire from atop a truck ladder extended over the charred remains of the roof. They used foam to coat the timbers, making the water stick to them, Morrell said. Foam also removes oxygen from fire, he said.

Yellow fire hose snaked up the side of the road from a hydrant a quarter-mile away.

Firetrucks from surrounding areas had pumped water into a local engine parked at the scene Tuesday, replenishing its supply throughout the night, Morrell said. Firefighters stopped spraying water on the flames for a couple of hours Wednesday morning while Morrell inspected the remains in an effort to learn where and what started the fire.

Morrell said firefighters didn’t run out of water. But he said the fire illustrates the need for a change in building codes to require sprinklers in residential buildings. Fire officials in the Twin Cities are pushing for a local ordinance, he said.

The house, which was about a century old, was once the home of Lewiston Mayor Robert Wiseman.

An adjoining barn had been torn down. A new barn was planned. Its foundation is in place.

Corrao is the former owner of what is now the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

The owner had parked some antique cars in the garage, which also burned. Morrell said the stored cars did not appear to be a factor in the cause of the fire.

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