The State Fire Marshal’s Office has determined the cause of a structure fire in Nobleboro Jan. 23 that left a family of five homeless.
The fire destroyed the home of Erica and Andrew Baldwin at 23 Starter Lane, Jan. 23.
Sgt. Ken Grimes of the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office said the fire was accidental and caused by a furnace malfunction. He said all Mainers should take whatever action they can to protect against fire.
“Generally, it’s always good to set up a regular maintenance schedule for your furnace,” Grimes said Jan. 24. “Furnaces produce heat to keep your house warm and to keep you warm. Because they are a heat generating appliance they need to be maintained to make sure the heat levels are appropriate and the fire stays inside the furnace.”
Erica Baldwin credited her 7-year-old son with saving the lives of the family.
“Their [the children] bedroom is beside the furnace,” Baldwin said Jan. 23. “I heard him screaming, ‘Mumma, Daddy!’ Their bedroom was engulfed in flames.”
Baldwin said she and her husband, Andrew Baldwin, saw the child pulling his 4-year-old sibling out of the room and they all exited the home. The Baldwins also have a 16-year-old child.