READFIELD — No injuries were reported Saturday night after fire destroyed part of a duplex home on Tallwood Drive in Readfield.
Chief Lee Mank of the Readfield Fire Department said the blaze at the large, brick-and-wood residence was reported at about 5 p.m. When firefighters from the Lakes Region Mutual Aid arrived, they found the brick portion of the building engulfed in flames.
Mank said he called in firefighters from Belgrade, Monmouth and Winthrop to help battle the fire.
Firefighters spent nearly 10 hours at the scene, knocking down the fire and searching out and dousing hot spots, according to Mank.
“We invested all that time putting the fire out,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave any hot spots to undo what we did. It was probably 2 o’clock (in the morning) by the time we got the last hot spot that was going to cause any issue.”
The home, estimated at more than a century old, had been divided into two living spaces, Mank said. The brick portion was destroyed, while the wooded addition was damaged by smoke and water.
Three people were home at the time of the fire, according to Mank. All were able to get out and none was injured. Mank said they went to stay with relatives in Readfield.
Property records show the owner of the building is the Lorraine Rourke Living Trust, and the value of the property for taxation purposes is $221,300.
Fire destroys part of a century-old duplex home Saturday night on Tallwood Drive in Readfield. Roger Audette photo
“I’m not really sure on the cause,” Mank said Sunday, adding the cause did not appear to be suspicious. He said he expected the blaze to be investigated by the Office of State Fire Marshal.
Lakes Region Mutual Aid includes fire departments from Fayette, Mount Vernon, Readfield, Vienna and Wayne.
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