LISBON – A Lisbon Falls family lost their home and all their belongings in a fast-moving fire of undetermined origin early Wednesday night.
The wood-framed structure at 49 Frost Hill Ave. was owned and occupied by the Raymond Siegler family. Siegler and two others were home at the time and escaped without injury.
One firefighter, whose name wasn’t released, suffered a shoulder injury but did not require medical attention, Deputy Fire Chief Mike Robitaille said.
A representative from the Office of the State Fire Marshal will inspect the ruins today in an effort to determine the cause.
The blaze was reported around 5:30 p.m. When the first firefighter arrived two minutes later, fire could be seen coming from the back of the house near the laundry room, according to Robitaille.
Within minutes after the first firetruck arrived,the area “flashed over,” he said, meaning the hot gases built up in the building suddenly got a big gush of oxygen perhaps from an open door or broken window and ignited all at once. Twenty minutes afterward, the roof partially collapsed, he said.
About 60 firefighters from Lisbon, Bowdoin, Durham, Lewiston and Topsham responded to the scene, while Brunswick and Sabattus fire departments filled in at the Lisbon and Lisbon Falls station.
Fire apparatus cleared the area at 10 p.m., with continued checking for hot spots planned through the night, Robitaille said.
He declined to estimated the monetary loss.
Robitaille said the family was offered assistance by the American Red Cross but had made other arrangements for housing.
Further information about the identity of those who lived in the home and those who were present at the time of the fire was unavailable Wednesday night. It was unknown if the home was insured.
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