The Red Cross and area residents are helping an Easton family whose home was destroyed last Tuesday in a fire caused by a clothes dryer.
The home owned by Timothy and Crystal MacFarline at 168 Center Road is likely completely destroyed because of the fire, according to Chief Kim White of the Easton Fire Department.
When firefighters arrived after receiving the call about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 “the fire was fully involved,” White said.
Fire crews with water trucks from the Presque Isle and Mars Hill fire departments brought mutual aid, and it took a team of 20 firefighters about three hours to extinguish the blaze, the fire chief said.
About half the home was completely burned, and the rest is so damaged that it’s not likely it could be rehabilitated, White said.
The owners of the home lived there with their young daughter and with Crystal MacFarline’s father. The home was insured, and no one was injured, White said. The family’s two dogs made it out and are accounted for, and a cat most likely escaped, as there was no trace of it inside, White said.
The state fire marshal’s office confirmed the fire started from a dryer inside the home, White said. He added that they believe the dryer fire started with lint, possibly from the lint trap.
“That’s our guess,” White said. “It’s hard to determine for sure.”
A disaster response team from the Red Cross has contacted the family to offer assistance and referrals, according to a news release from the Red Cross of Maine.
Officials with the Easton School System also were accepting clothing and other donations for the family, which can be dropped off between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the elementary school. For more information, visit the school system’s Facebook page.
