HOULTON, Maine — Two occupants of a house on Kelleran Street in Houlton had to jump off the porch roof after exiting through a second-story window to escape flames from a fire that broke out Sunday morning.
The Houlton Fire Department — which could see the fire’s smoke from the station — received the call at 7:55 a.m., fire officials said.
Brian Hayes, along with his wife and four children, rented the house at 12 Kelleran St., but two of the children were staying at a friend’s house at the time the fire broke out. The other four residents of the home managed to escape from the burning building.
The family’s dog and cat are believed to have perished, fire officials said. The house was considered a total loss, but was insured by the owner. The American Red Cross is assisting the family with necessities.
It took approximately 5 hours for firefighters to extinguish the blaze, with assistance from the Hodgdon and Linneus fire departments.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, fire officials said Tuesday.
