WILTON — The cause of a fire at 19 Jay St. on Wednesday morning was attributed to an electric blanket left on and crumpled at the foot of a bed.
Six cats were found deceased, Wilton fire Chief Sonny Dunham said later Wednesday. Five dogs at the home were not injured.
The home is owned by Anna Powers and Jane Roberts and no one was inside at the time.
An investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Wilton chief agreed on the cause. The fire burned the bed and firefighters were able to contain it to the second-floor front bedroom. They believe the blanket smoldered for a while because the residents left at 6:30 a.m. and firefighters were called at about 10 a.m., Dunham said.
The house received smoke and water damage throughout and will take a lot of cleaning, he said. Firefighters put down salvage covers to protect the items downstairs. The home is insured.
Dunham put the homeowners in contact with the Red Cross.
Roberts was out of town and Powers had taken Roberts’ husband, John David Roberts, to work at 6:30 a.m. When she got back to the house, Powers said she fell asleep in her truck in the driveway.
A friend, Alicia Mitchell, arrived shortly before 10 a.m. and didn’t see Powers in the truck. Mitchell went into the house. When she didn’t find Powers in the living room, she started up the stairs. After a couple steps, she couldn’t breathe because of the smoke, she said. She dialed 911.
About 25 firefighters from Jay, Livermore Falls, Farmington and East Dixfield helped Wilton Fire Department at the scene. NorthStar Ambulance and Wilton police also arrived to help.
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