Fire prompts warning
FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — No one was hurt in this border town’s first fire of the year, but police want to use the case to remind people about prevention.
The residents of a Center Street home left for a walk on New Year’s Day, but they discovered a fire when they returned in the early evening, Fort Fairfield Police Chief William Campbell said Monday.
Members of the Fire Department and Crown Ambulance were dispatched to the home at 5:15 p.m. and spent two hours at the home. The main fire was put out in about 10 minutes, Campbell said.
The fire started on the kitchen stove and then spread to other parts of the house, although it wasn’t clear what was left or forgotten on the stove, Campbell said.
The house had smoke and water damage but may be able to be rehabilitated, he added. The residents of the home, which was being rented, received shelter through the Red Cross.
Campbell said there are common fire hazards people should try to keep in mind, especially during the winter.
“People need to be aware of leaving their burners on [unattended], candles lit or anything that can cause a fire,” he said. “Secondly, it is important to have your entry ways and steps shoveled to make it easy to exit the building and for us to enter.”
