The aftermath of a fire at 475 Benner Road in Bristol early Friday, July 5. The fire started in a storage shed, the remains of which are smoldering on the right, before spreading to the vehicles and the house. (Evan Houk photo)
A fire that started early Friday, July 5 in a storage shed at 475 Benner Road in Bristol quickly spread to two vehicles and a house before being contained by firefighters.
The residents, Michael and Susan E. Smerdon, were able to vacate the house before the fire spread from the shed. No injuries were reported, according to Bristol Fire Chief Paul Leeman Jr.
According to a July 5 press release from the American Red Cross of Maine, disaster responders from the organization are working with three people displaced by the fire to “ensure that their immediate needs, such as food, a safe place to sleep, and other essentials, are met.”
Lincoln County Communications dispatched the Bristol Fire Department at 1:35 a.m. and the Bremen, Damariscotta, Newcastle, and South Bristol departments shortly thereafter.
The blaze was mostly under control by about 2:45 a.m., according to Leeman. The shed burned down and the two vehicles, a Chrysler minivan and a Ford truck, were burned out.
Leeman said the house also has extensive smoke and fire damage. He said an approximately 20-foot hole was burned in the roof after the fire spread into the attic.
Leeman said the cause of the fire is under investigation by the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office, but it appears to have been accidental.
The Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service also responded to monitor and provide water for the firefighters.
