“Improper disposal of smoking material” has been the cause of three fires in Damariscotta in little more than a week, Fire Chief Neil Genthner said.
A late night fire badly damaged a mobile home at 60 Standpipe Rd. in Damariscotta July 23.
A female homeowner received treatment at Miles Memorial Hospital for minor burns, Damariscotta Fire Chief Neil Genthner said, but she and the other occupant were otherwise unharmed.
As for the home, “it’s certainly not inhabitable again,” Genthner said, but he praised firefighters for “a good stop” that limited fire damage to the kitchen and dining room area and left three-quarters of the home standing.
Damariscotta Fire received the page at 9:34 p.m., Genthner said. The fire, which started on the porch, was out by about 11 p.m.
Damariscotta Fire and Fire Marshal’s Office investigations confirmed the cause as improper disposal of smoking materials.
The Red Cross has been contacted to assist the occupants.
Firefighters were unable to locate the animal residents of the mobile home, three cats and a Chihuahua, although Genthner holds out hope for their survival.
Firefighters didn’t find anything inside to suggest they didn’t escape, and animals have good instincts when it comes to fires, he said. They may just be hiding in the woods nearby.
The Damariscotta, Newcastle and Nobleboro fire departments responded to the scene. The Bristol Fire Department covered Damariscotta’s station.
A quick response on the part of a Damariscotta Police officer working her last shift made a big difference in the outcome of a July 21 fire at Ledgewood Court.
Genthner said “things would have been a lot worse” for the subject if not for Officer Jennifer Mitkus’ timely actions. (See “Damariscotta Police officer rescues elderly woman during final shift” in this edition.)
The apartment at the low-income housing complex sustained smoke damage, Genthner said.
The Damariscotta Fire Department responded to the scene. Newcastle fire was on standby at their station.
A Fire Marshal’s Office investigation confirmed the cause as improper disposal of smoking materials.
A third recent fire, on School Street next to L.R. French Inc., was determined to have the same cause.
Genthner arrived first at the scene of the School Street fire and was able to “calm” the flames with a fire extinguisher until trucks pulled up.
The home sustained exterior damage, but no structural damage, he said. No one was injured.
The Damariscotta and Newcastle fire departments responded to the scene.
Genthner credited the collaborative and extensive training of local firefighters and always-reliable mutual aid, for which he expressed thanks to the other departments, with limiting damage and injury in all three fires.
He said people who choose to smoke in their homes or around their property should make sure they have proper disposal containers at the ready. The recent dry weather and wind, as this streak of fires illustrates, means it doesn’t take much for a cigarette butt to start a fire, he said.
