OLD TOWN – A fire at a home at 26 Bradbury Street last Wednesday (May 10) is believed to have been caused by a heat lamp that was being used to warm baby chickens.

According to Old Town Fire Chief Steve O’Malley, the fire was reported by a person working nearby at about noon. There was nobody home at the time; when firefighters arrived, they found the fire in a living room area of the home.

The fire was quickly extinguished, said O’Malley.

“It was a very small fire, and we knocked it down quickly,” said the chief. “Structurally, it was contained to the living room area, and everything is repairable, but it will take an extensive cleanup before it’s habitable again.”

At least two people, who were not identified, were residing in the home. Lost in the fire was a family dog and eight chicks.

“It looks like it most likely was caused by the heat lamp, which ended up in combustibles mext to it on the floor. How that happened, we don’t know,” said O’Malley.

Current city records still show the property as being owned by JP Morgan Chase Bank. The residents are believed to be staying with family, and the property is insured, said O’Malley.

Emergency personnel from Milford, Orono and UMaine assisted at the scene.

The fire was across the street diagonally from the scene of a fire that killed a woman and her two young children last November.

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