LEWISTON — A fast-moving grease fire destroyed the first floor at 101 Pine St. early Saturday afternoon, leaving 10 people homeless.
Fire Inspector Paul Ouellette said police received a call for help at about 1:15 p.m. A woman in the apartment had been heating oil to cook dough for lunch when a grease fire erupted. She tried unsuccessfully to put it out before fire crawled up the walls and kitchen cabinets before reaching the ceiling.
The first floor was a total loss, Ouellette said.
At 2:20 p.m. he was still waiting to go inside to inspect the rest of the building, which is owned by Joe Dunn.
Two parents, a daughter and a granddaughter lived in the first-floor unit where the fire started. Two cats were saved from the fire, but a dog was killed.
No people were injured.
Authorities did not know how many other units the building had. The 1850 Victorian at the corner of Pine and Pierce streets was a funeral home until 2009.
“You should always pre-heat or cook your food at the lowest temperature possible,” Ouellette said Saturday night. “I found the pan (where the fire started.) The burner burnt through the bottom of the pan.”
-
- A Lewiston firefighter looks at flames pouring out of an entrance to an apartment building at the corner of Pine and Pierce streets in Lewiston on Saturday afternoon as he waits for water to be delivered.
-
- Lewiston firefighters head to the vent of the cupola on the apartment building at the corner of Pine and Pierce streets in Lewiston on Saturday afternoon. A reported grease fire on the first floor quickly spread to the interior of the building, causing heavy smoke and water damage.
-
- Lewiston firefighters knock down flames coming from the entrance to one of the apartments of the building at the corner of Pine and Pierce streets in Lewiston on Saturday afternoon.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.