Smoke pours out of a home on River Road in Edgecomb on Friday, Oct. 25. According to Edgecomb Fire Chief Roy Potter, no humans were injured, but the fire did claim the life of one cat. (Nolan Wilkinson photo)
Firefighters from seven local towns turned out to battle a stubborn structure fire at a private home in Edgecomb on Friday, Oct. 25.
According to Edgeomb Fire Chief Roy Potter, no humans were harmed, but the fire did claim the life of one domestic cat.
Firefighters responded to the residence at 643 River Road around 6:15 p.m. Oct. 25 after dispatchers at the Lincoln County Communications Center received a call from a woman saying her house was on fire.
Though firefighters had the flames under control within 45 minutes after arrival, the way the house was design allowed the fire to keep burning for several more hours, Potter said.
“There were a lot of voids and areas the fire got to that we couldn’t access, so that’s what took so long,” Potter said.
Though the home, owned by Kimberly McLellan, is still standing, it sustained “significant structural damage,” according to Potter.
Potter said around 20-25 firefighters responded to the fire, with the Boothbay, Bremen, Damariscotta, Newcastle, Nobleboro, and Wiscasset fire departments providing mutual aid support.
“We were fortunate we had plenty of manpower there,” Potter said.
Firefighters had to cycle in and out of the building because their tanks only have 30 minutes of oxygen, Potter said.
“Most departments’ (oxygen tanks) are 30 minute models, but when you’re working hard, you burn through it a lot quicker,” Potter said.”I know my department. I had guys, I think, that went through three bottles.”
As there were no nearby fire hydrant firefighters used tanker trucks to shuttle water to the scene from the hydrant at Clayton V. Huntley Jr. Fire Station, which is located over 4.5 miles away from the scene in Newcastle, Potter said.
The Office of the Maine State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire in conjunction with the Edgecomb Fire Department, Potter said. The fire’s cause remains undetermined, according to Office of the Maine State Fire Marshal spokesperson Shannon Moss.
Firefighters cleared the scene at 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, according to Potter.
Boothbay and Damariscotta firefighters set up a portable dump tank to establish a water supply at a structure fire at 634 River Road in Edgecomb on Friday, Oct. 25. Tanker trucks shuttled water to the scene from Newcastle’s Clayton V. Huntley Jr. Fire Station 4.5 miles away. (Nolan Wilkinson photo)
