Dresden residents Albert and Rosemary Lilly lost their home to a fire on Thanksgiving Day. The State Fire Marshal has determined the fire likely originated on or around a wood stove.
Albert, a 15-year member of the Dresden Fire and Rescue service, and Rosemary left their home at about 11:45 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day to spend the afternoon at their daughter’s in Damariscotta.
When the page came through for a structure fire for their address, Albert said he went into the house and told his wife, “Rosemary, we’ve got a structure fire at 1115 Middle Road.”
“I had to say it like three times” before Rosemary acknowledged that it was their own home, Albert said.
“It was a fast ride back from Damariscotta,” he said.
The couple’s dog survived the fire partly because of the good weather, Albert said. He had tied the dog outside before leaving for their daughter’s because it was such a nice day, he said.
The fire was reported around 1 p.m. by Steve Lilly, Albert and Rosemary’s nephew who lives across the street from their home. Steve Lilly is also the assistant chief of Dresden Fire and Rescue.
A number of Lilly’s family members serve in the department, including Albert’s brother, Chief Gerald Lilly. All the family members live within five houses of one another, Albert said.
By the time he arrived at Albert and Rosemary’s home, Gerald said the fire “had broken out through the back side [of the house] and was already starting to go up the walls on the outside.”
There wasn’t a lot to do at that point except try to contain the blaze and protect any outbuildings, Gerald said. “Normally when they’ve broken out through … [the building is] pretty well gone,” he said.
A propane tank outside the home didn’t help their cause. The fire “blew the safety on the propane tank, so that really got things going,” Gerald said.
Fire departments from Wiscasset, Woolwich, Richmond, West Bath, and Pittston all responded via mutual aid, Gerald said.
State Fire Marshal Joseph Thomas, in a phone conversation on Nov. 26, said the fire was “attributed to circumstances on or around the wood stove” and was considered accidental in nature.
The Nov. 23 inspection of the fire was performed to assist Dresden Fire and Rescue since it was a department member’s residence and would show no conflict of interest for the insurance company, Thomas said.
Albert also lost a pickup truck to the fire, even though it was parked about 50 feet away, he said. Parts of the truck had started to melt and the tires had started to burn from the heat of the house burning, he said.
Albert said both the home and the truck are insured, but he is still waiting to find out whether the truck is covered under his homeowner’s policy or the vehicle’s policy.
“My next step is to get the mess cleaned up,” Albert said. In addition to the home itself, a number of trees need to be taken down and dealt with, all of which should take around two weeks, he said.
Though Albert said he’s found a few pictures and a couple of tools, there isn’t much left of the home.
The wood stove may find use in a future garage, but Albert said he “probably won’t put it back in the house.”
“Everybody who was involved in the fire departments who assisted, I thank them very much,” Albert said.
There are several options available to those who wish to help the Lillys recover from their loss.
According to the Dresden Fire and Rescue website, donations can be made to the “Albert and Rosemary Lilly Fund” by dropping off a check at the Bridge Farm Store at 593 Gardiner Road in Dresden, or by mailing one to Town of Dresden, P.O. Box 30, Dresden, 04342.
For those who would like to donate using a debit card, donations can be made to “The Lilly Fund” at any branch of The First, Albert said.
