A Whitefield couple said they are glad to be alive and are grateful for all the support they have received after they lost their home in a raging fire Friday night. Holly Torsey said she and her husband, Stephen, of 651 Townhouse Rd. in Whitefield had just enough time to get out of the house before it was engulfed in flames.
She grabbed a quilt off their bed and they ran out the door into sub-zero temperatures late that night.
“We made it out just in time,” she said, adding they had been asleep when they heard noises coming from downstairs. They didn’t stop to think about what they could save from the house and rushed out. “Unless you’re an absolute fool, you’re not going to think about what you can save.”
Stephen said they should keep a downstairs door closed in case of a fire, as it opens into a drafty hall and the house was an old cape. Holly said this gave them enough time to get out. Otherwise, the smoke coming from the closed off kitchen might have obliterated their view or suffocated them in their sleep, she said.
Holly said Stephen stayed on the road in front of the house, where the tar was comparatively warmer than the snow covered ditch, while she ran to neighbor Gertrude King’s house to call 911.
“She’s one of our heroes in this story,” Holly said, describing how King helped make sure the emergency call got through and opened her home to firefighters whose gear was coated with sheets of ice. “We are so grateful to her.”
Holly credits the firefighters who arrived soon after the call went out for saving them from receiving frostbite. She said they were able to climb into the cab of the first engine to arrive and get out of the cold.
Emergency personnel received the call at 9:45 p.m. and first responders arrived on scene five minutes later, according to Whitefield Fire Chief Jim Brann.
Firefighters found the two-story home fully engulfed in flames upon their arrival. Mutual aid was summoned even as the first hose teams were deployed. As the incident continued, Whitefield firefighters were assisted by firefighters from Alna, Windsor, Pittston, Somerville, Newcastle, and Jefferson.
Holly said a very attentive ambulance crew from Augusta treated her and her husband, giving them warm blankets and heating pads.
Firefighters from Waldoboro covered the Jefferson station during part of the fire until additional Jefferson firefighters relieved them. Delta Ambulance, Windsor Rescue, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the Red Cross also responded to the scene.
Firefighters and rescue personnel braved nighttime darkness and subfreezing temps as they battled the blaze and assisted the Torseys. As water from the fire hoses iced over the road, Steven McGee was called in with a truck to spread sand over the area, according to Brann.
It took the entire night to extinguish the blaze completely, with Jefferson road commissioner and private contractor Nathan Northrup being called in with heavy equipment to sift through the wreckage of the home so firefighters could access hot spots.
Morning light was just beginning to spread over the scene when firefighters finally finished their efforts at 5 a.m. on Saturday.
The fire marshal determined there was too much damage to the home to determine the cause of the fire, Brann said. He added that the fire marshal also found reason to believe the fire started accidentally.
Holly said the firefighters saved their car. They washed it down and covered it with a tarp to protect it. They also saved some outbuildings, a couple greenhouses as well as the Torseys’ chickens.
The Torseys stayed at a neighbor’s house, owned by Bridgett Griffin, down the road. Holly said the Red Cross has also offered support in the way of temporary shelter at a motel.
“We have been so amazed by how kind and generous people have been,” Holly said.
She expressed their gratitude for the space provided to them and that people have understood they needed the time to recover.
Holly said she and Stephen have what they need to keep warm right now and also have vouchers from the Red Cross. She also added their house was insured against fire. So many people are unable to maintain coverage, Holly said, adding they had difficulty doing so as well, though now are glad they did.
“Our insurance company is taking care of us,” she said.
More than the insurance and individual items donated, Holly credits their road to recuperation has been laid with the generosity of friends, family and strangers from near and far.
“It has been amazing,” she said.
The couple cannot accept donations of furniture or kitchen items until they can find permanent housing, said resident Sandy Brown. While they appreciate the generosity of so many, at the same time they would not want something to go to waste. Holly said there are people with such full hearts who want to provide something right away. The couple asks those people to consider a shelter, a food bank, local fire departments and other agencies who can help so many other people.
Brown is taking lists of items people are willing to donate. Holly said having the power of choice when one has lost everything is important in recovery. People who want to help can write a note indicating what they have to offer and the Torseys will know who to ask for certain items. Interested parties can contact Brown at her home phone number, 549-7921.
The Kings Mills Union Hall Association will host a benefit supper on their behalf on Jan. 9, according to resident Lucy Martin.