FRYEBURG — It was a busy night for fire departments in western Maine as fires in Fryeburg and Brownfield damaged two homes, leaving a man and six dogs homeless.
Fryeburg firefighters responded to a house fire at 39 Briggs Lane at about 11:15 p.m. Tuesday. By the time they arrived, they found flames had broken through the roof of the two-story, single-family residence.
Fire Chief Ozzie Sheaff said the fire, which likely resulted from an improperly installed wood stove, was under control by about 11:57 p.m. The home sustained extensive fire, smoke and water damage.
Michael Benedict, who rented the home, two dogs and four puppies made it out safely, Sheaff said.
The Red Cross helped Benedict find a place to stay and the Fryeburg Veterinary Hospital provided temporary housing for the dogs, Sheaff said.
The structure is standing but is uninhabitable, the chief said. He is waiting to hear from the homeowner in Massachusetts, and is unsure if the building was insured or if the tenant had renter’s insurance.
The Saco Valley Fire Association and East Conway (N.H.) Fire Department assisted with the fire.
As Fryeburg firefighters were clearing the scene at about 2:30 a.m., they received a call to help the Brownfield Fire Department with a fire.
Brownfield Assistant Fire Chief Don Dunham was covering for the fire chief, who was in Michigan to get a new firetruck, when the call came of a chimney fire at a two-story, single-family residence at 277 Pequawket Trail. The fire had spread to an interior wall by the time crews arrived, according to Dunham.
A family of four escaped without injuries and was able to return to the home after crews quickly extinguished the flames. Dunham said there was a 24- by 24-inch burn on an interior wall and no other damage by the time firefighters had the fire under control, which took about a half hour.
The situation could have been much worse, especially since the chimney fire managed to spread to the structure, Dunham said. He warned wood stove users to “make sure you inspect your chimney at least on a monthly basis and clean as needed.”
The Denmark Fire Department also assisted Brownfield.
mjerkins@sunmediagroup.net
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.