
MECHANIC FALLS — A fire Sunday night that killed a woman at 54 Jordan Road may have started in the garage.
Fire Chief Fred Sturtevant said Monday that Terry Bisbee, 74, the Bisbee family’s grandmother, was the only person at home at the time of the fire.
The property belongs to Bradley Bisbee and the heirs of Leland R. Bisbee, according to records.
Next of kin had been notified of the death, officials said.
Efforts to fight the fire were hindered by lack of personnel and water, Sturtevant said, noting the site was outside of the town’s fire hydrant system.
Firefighters responded at 7:18 p.m. to a 911 call reporting a structure fire with a person trapped inside, Sturtevant said. Smoke detectors in the home were working.
He said the Maine Office of the State Fire Marshal is continuing to investigate the cause of the fire, which is currently ruled undetermined. A meat smoker appeared to have been in use in the garage, he said.
The garage was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived and eventually spread to the attached house. The garage was considered a total loss due to the fire damage; the home was a total loss due to fire and smoke damage, Sturtevant said.
The home was not insured, according to the chief. The family and friends plan to create GoFundMe pages to help raise money for the family, he said.
Mutual aid departments came from Minot, Poland, Auburn, Oxford, Casco, Paris, Norway, Hebron and Otisfield as well as ambulance crews from United and Pace were at the scene.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less