Erica Baldwin said her family of five owes its survival to her young son.
The Baldwin home at 23 Starter Ln. in Nobleboro was destroyed by fire Jan. 23.
On Jan. 24, Sgt. Ken Grimes of the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office said the fire was accidental and was caused by a furnace malfunction.
He said all Mainers should take whatever action they can to protect against fire.
“Generally, it’s always good to set up a regular maintenance schedule for your furnace,” Grimes said. “Furnaces produce heat to keep your house warm and to keep you warm. Because they are a heat generating appliance they need to be maintained to make sure the heat levels are appropriate and the fire stays inside the furnace.”
According to Nobleboro Fire Chief Ryan Gallagher, the call came through Lincoln County Communications at 1:34 a.m. Jan. 23. At dawn, a fire engine, tanker and rescue truck were still at the scene, monitoring the site for any possible flare-ups.
“Our 7-year-old saved our lives,” Erica Baldwin said as she looked over the charred remains of the mobile home and addition where her husband Andrew Baldwin had lived for 12 years, and Erica Baldwin and their three children lived for four years.
“Their [the children] bedroom is beside the furnace,” she said. “I heard him screaming, ‘Mumma, Daddy!’ Their bedroom was engulfed in flames.”
Baldwin said she and her husband saw the child pulling his 4-year-old sibling out of the room and they all exited the home. The Baldwins also have a 16-year-old child.
Gallagher said the family, along with one of their two dogs, escaped the blaze. Another dog may have gone back into the building.
“With as much damage as was done, I doubt if we will find any remains,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher said the property was insured but he did not think there was renter’s insurance on the contents.
In addition to Nobleboro, the Jefferson, Waldoboro and Bremen fire departments responded to the fire. Central Lincoln County Ambulance and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office were also at the scene.
