The remains of a barn at 2231 Friendship Road in Waldoboro after a fire on Friday, Feb. 20, the second of two fires the Waldoboro Fire Department responded to that day. Waldoboro firefighters remained on scene for more than 12 hours. (Courtesy photo)
Waldoboro firefighters ended the workweek on a busy note Friday, Feb. 20, responding to two separate structure fires in less than five hours.
According to Fire Chief Paul Smeltzer, Waldoboro firefighters had enough time to clear the first scene early Friday morning before they were paged to the second, which proved to be a daylong affair.
According to a press release from Maine Department of Public Safety Spokesperson Shannon Moss, the Waldoboro Fire Department first responded to a structure fire involving a single-story home at 801 North Nobleboro Road around 2:38 a.m.
Flames were reportedly extending through the front windows and roof of the residence, according to the press release. The roof eventually collapsed in the center of the home and the front wall burned away. The two occupants of the home were able to escape, although one male resident sustained burn injuries to his shoulder and neck. He was transported to MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta for treatment.
The residents were using propane space heaters inside to help keep warm, Moss said. Two cats and a dog perished in the fire and one dog was able to be rescued by the owner.
Investigators from the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office have classified the fire as undetermined due to competing accidental causes, Moss said.
According to Smeltzer, the early morning cold proved to be a complicating factor.
“The first one was early in the morning, so it was very cold out, so the ground was freezing underfoot,” Smelter said. “Waldoboro Public Works came out and helped us out. They put down some sand.”
Responders had cleared the scene before they were paged to a second structure fire in a barn attached to a home at 2231 Friendship Road in Waldoboro around 7:03 a.m., Smeltzer said. When firefighters arrived on Friendship Road, the fire was heavily involved. The two occupants of the home had already escaped and were uninjured.
“The firefighters did an excellent job keeping the fire from spreading into the residence, but the barn was a total loss,” Smeltzer said.
According to Moss, investigators determined the cause of the 2231 Friendship Road fire was electrical in nature and is classified it as accidental.
The two fires are not related, according to Moss.
Mutual aid units were able to stand down by 4 p.m. Waldoboro remained on scene until past 8 p.m. searching for host spots in the remains of the barn, Smeltzer said.
“As it progressed, firefighters were just plain tired,” Smletzer said. “We had all been up since 2:30 in the morning and then the second fire was a long duration event.”
At both scenes, Waldoboro benefitted from mutual aid assistance provided by the Bremen, Jefferson, Nobleboro, Damariscotta, Warren, and Friendship fire departments. They were also supported at the Friendship Road fire scene by the Union Fire Department.
“We are very fortunate in Lincoln County to have the mutual aid system that we have,” Smeltzer said. “We work together. We train together, and it’s an honor and a privilege to have them respond together.”
Firefighters stand on the porch of a destroyed house at 801 North Nobleboro Road in Waldoboro. The home was lost to fire on Friday, Feb. 20. The Waldoboro Fire Department and mutual aid towns were dispatched slightly after 2:30 a.m. (Courtesy photo)
