Eliot man injured trying to save his mother from fire

Authorities say an elderly woman died early Tuesday morning in her burning home on Hanscom Road in Eliot.

An elderly woman died and her son was injured trying to rescue her during a fire early Tuesday morning at a home on Hanscom Road in Eliot.

Investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office say the fire, which was reported before 2:30 a.m., started in a garage and spread to the woman’s apartment on the second floor. Two men escaped the adjacent house, but one man broke his hip when he was forced to jump to the ground from the second-floor apartment.

Local fire officials say the injured man was trying to rescue his mother as flames swept through her apartment, but he was overcome by smoke.

Eliot Fire Chief Jay Muzeroll said Beverly Webber lived in the apartment and is believed to be the victim, according to WCSH. State officials expect to officially identify the victim later Tuesday morning, according to Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. He said the house was badly damaged.

There were no fire hydrants near the house at 230 Hanscom Road. Crews from eight communities helped fight the fire and bring in water by tanker truck.

This story will be updated.