HOULTON, Maine — Improper disposal of wood pellet ashes was cited as the cause of a Monday afternoon fire at 108 White Settlement Road in Houlton.
The homeowner, Linda Christiansen, was removing animals from her residence when firefighters arrived on the scene at 11:08 a.m. A passing motorist alerted Christiansen to the fact that her garage was on fire.
Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone said the fire started behind the detached garage after Christiansen reportedly dumped a pile of wood ash from her pellet stove and went back inside. The ash ignited the garage and quickly consumed the building.
“The 18×20 garage was totally involved when we arrived,” Cone said. “We were lucky things went very well for us. We got there early enough, that we were able to put up a water spray wall between the house and the garage to keep the fire damage to the home minimal.”
A 2008 Honda motorcycle and 2005 PT Cruiser automobile were located inside the garage. The fire destroyed those vehicles, Cone said.
A number of animals were inside Christiansen’s home. She was able to safely escort her dog out of the building and firefighters removed several cats. Other cats, which had been released outside the home, were unaccounted for, Cone said. None of the animals are believed to have perished as a result of smoke inhalation as the home did not receive a great deal of smoke damage.
Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the garage, but Christiansen’s home did receive some water damage. The garage and its contents were totally destroyed.
Houlton Water Company was called to cut power to the area, before firefighters could enter the building. Additionally, tanker trucks from Hodgdon and Linneus were called to provide water, since the structure is located outside of the town’s fire hydrant district.
With colder weather approaching, Cone stated Monday’s fire was a prime example of how important it is to practice fire safety.
Cone said there were no working smoke detectors in the home, so the fire department returned later that day to install two devices. The home was not insured.
A total of 17 firefighters from Houlton and an additional six from the Hodgdon and Linneus fire departments spent two hours on the scene.
