Two residents were uninjured but left without a home when their house at 403 Lowell Town Road in Wiscasset caught fire on Sunday.
Owner Matthew Cressey reported the fire at 9:23 a.m. on Sunday, and firefighters were on the scene about five minutes later, said Wiscasset Fire Chief Robert Bickford. In total, 25-30 firefighters from Wiscasset, Alna, Edgecomb, Boothbay, Dresden, Westport and Woolwich helped battle the flames for about three hours.
Bickford said he believes the fire started in the garage but had engulfed the entire house, causing the roof to collapse in about 10 minutes.
The two residents made it out safely and no firefighters were injured during the incident, but nothing from the home was able to be salvaged. Bickford said the American Red Cross is assisting the family.
“We’re thankful that no one was hurt — residents or firefighters,” said Bickford. “Everything else can be replaced.”
Bickford said the fire isn’t believed to be suspicious, but the State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
Bickford said large structure fires like this happen once or twice a year and are almost always accidents. He recommended homeowners remain conscious of combustibles in and around the home that could cause a fire.
A GoFundMe online fundraiser with a $40,000 goal was established Sunday for the family by Emily Cressey, who claims to be the homeowner’s sister. As of Monday morning, about 30 people had donated a total $4,140.
In the fundraiser description, Emily Cressey wrote her brother has been designing and building the house himself for the past seven years and wasn’t yet finished. He also put his life savings into the project and didn’t have homeowners insurance, Emily Cressey wrote.
“We’re looking for donations to help him get back on his feet and get his house started up again,” Emily Cressey wrote in the online fundraiser. “Especially during the holiday season this is a huge tragedy for our whole family.”
This story was updated at 2:10 p.m. Monday, December 6 to correct the spelling of Matthew Cressey’s name.
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