LIVERMORE — The cause of a fire that destroyed a cape-style house and garage, and four vehicles on Sunday on Route 108 will remain undetermined due to the extensive damage, Livermore fire Chief Donald Castonguay said Monday.

“It was a total loss,” he said.

Nearly 50 firefighters from Livermore, Canton, Leeds, Livermore Falls, Turner and Jay fought the fire and a dozen or more trucks responded to the fire reported at about 6 p.m., he said. Firefighters from Fayette and Wayne stood by at the Livermore Falls Fire Station to protect those towns in case of another emergency.

The owners Kelly Lee and Tina George were not home at the time of the fire, which looked like it started in the middle of the two-story house, Castonguay said.

Lee had taken his dogs to the store to buy dog food and arrived back home while firefighters fought the blaze. Turner Rescue personnel treated him for smoke inhalation at the scene after he got too close to the fire, Castonguay said.

An older-style car, a motorcycle and 1966 Jeep Willys that were in the garage were destroyed. A car parked outside the garage and two propane tanks outside the garage were also destroyed, Castonguay said.

The tanks vented and burned off, he said, but did not blow up.

Kelly George told firefighters that he had put wood in the wood stove before he went to the store, Castonguay said.

The couple stayed at a friend’s house Sunday night, he said.

Castonguay said he called in the American Red Cross to assist the family.

The frigid temperatures froze up a lot of firetrucks toward the end as firefighters worked to put out hot spots and cleanup, he said.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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