Firefighters from mutual aid departments in and around Lincoln County responded to two fires in Wiscasset and Dresden Feb. 11.
In Wiscasset, residents Kim Lynch and her 11 year-old son managed to escape their two story modular home at 64 Old Sheepscot Rd. unharmed after flames from their garage spread to the rest of the house shortly after 7 p.m. Wiscasset Fire Chief Rob Bickford said Lynch thought their dog might not have made it out of the house in time.
“Everyone got out safe, but unfortunately they may have lost a dog,” Bickford said.
Mutual aid was called from 10 fire departments including Alna, Dresden, Edgecomb, Westport, Woolwich, Newcastle, Damariscotta, Boothbay, West Bath and Richmond. Wiscasset EMS, the Wiscasset Police Dept. and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office also provided assistance. Despite the best efforts of all departments on scene, the residence sustained a heavy amount of damage. While the investigation is ongoing, the fire is not considered suspicious.
“It’s looking like it started in the garage area,” Bickford said.
According to Bickford, Lynch came out of her house and saw flames coming from a woodpile stacked in her garage. She quickly got her son out of the house and called 911. Lynch and her son are currently staying with friends in the area. While the outside walls were still standing, the house was destroyed on the inside.
As firefighters worked in near zero degree temperatures, ice forming on their heavy coats, another call came through for a fire at the Bridge Farm in Dresden.
“I hope not,” Bickford said while still battling the Old Sheepscot Rd. blaze. “That’s a nice old farmhouse.”
While some firefighters continued working in Wiscasset, others wasted no time getting to the Route 27 address.
Dresden Assistant Fire Chief Steve Lilly, who was first on scene with his crew, said smoke was pouring out of the small rental cottage near the farm’s barn on the property. They quickly doused the flames of a burning mattress inside and checked for other fire sources. According to Lilly and the farm’s owner, Bob Howe, no one was home when the mattress caught fire and no one knows how it started.
Howe said his renters, Andy and Jaime Berhanu, arrived home to find the mattress on fire. They notified Howe right away, who then called the fire department, Howe said.
Lilly said he was thankful for all of the mutual aid support and for the quick response of the homeowners. Firefighters from Boothbay, Wiscasset, Richmond, Pittston, Damariscotta, Topsham, and Dresden responded to the call.
Lilly said the cottage sustained some smoke and water damage, but no fire damage. There were no injuries resulting from this fire.
Howe said the Berhanu couple would spend the night inside the farmhouse.
At a Lincoln County Commissioners meeting Feb.15, the large-scale mutual aid effort was praised by Lincoln County Emergency Management Director Tim Pellerin.
“It’s a testament to our preparedness,” said Pellerin. “It’s absolutely phenomenal, the system worked.”
(Matthew Stilphen contributed additional reporting.)
