The scene of a fire that destroyed two buildings and may have claimed one life has finally been cleared, according to Somerville Fire Chief Mike Dostie.
Several fire departments responded to a call of a structure fire on Crummett Mountain Road at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon. As of about 4 p.m. only a portion of the roof, a few sections of walls and three chimneys remained standing, and flames leaped 15 to 20 feet above the burning wreckage.
Investigators believe a body found in the kitchen of the home around 9 p.m. to be the homeowner, Cecil Brann, 92, who lived alone, according to a press release from the Department of Public Safety.
The State Medical Examiner’s Office is expected to examine the body today, according to the release.
Departments from Somerville, Jefferson, Chelsea, North Whitefield, and Coopers Mills were all at the scene early on to combat the blaze. Soon though, trucks and equipment were icing up due to the freezing temperatures.
“Everything was starting to freeze,” Dostie said. “The moment you shut down for something to change trucks, the truck that was leaving would freeze up and it was no longer usable.”
More trucks were called out from Pittston, China, and Waldoboro to assist, but tankers were useless after their first run because they froze up during the long trip to refill, Dostie said.
“We’ve gotten a lot of truck damage from the freezes,” Dostie said. Two of Somerville’s firetrucks are down because of the damage, he said.
The firefighters worked through the evening, and eventually had to abandon their effort until the morning.
“We left at midnight, and then we were back there at 5, and we’re just cleared there now,” Dostie said at about 1 p.m. today.
An excavator had been brought up to knock down the remaining debris, and the scene will probably continue to produce smoke for up to a week due to the smoldering ashes underneath the pile, Dostie said.
Dostie said he’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the effort of fighting the fire, including the neighbors who brought up soup, sandwiches and coffee for all the firefighters.
I’d like to thank all those mutual aid departments that showed up, even some that aren’t our mutual aid,” Dostie said.
