HOULTON, Maine — A fast moving fire caused widespread damage to a house on Cary Street Saturday afternoon.
According to Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone, firefighters were called to 34 Cary St. for a report of a structure fire around 4:45 p.m. Jerry and Jacqueline Warble own the property.
Sixteen firefighters and three engines responded to the call and spent an hour and 30 minutes containing the blaze.
“Upon our arrival, smoke and flames were showing from the downstairs windows,” Cone said.
Jerry Warble had been outside and upon entering the home, he saw smoke and immediately evacuated the property.
“He got everybody out of the house, including the pets, and then went back in,” Cone said. “Mr. Warble informed us he saw fire in the bathroom area next to the washing machine. He threw a couple of buckets of water on it, but the smoke was so bad he had to get out.”
The fire quickly spread to the second story, causing extensive heat, smoke and water damage throughout the property.
“Basically everything in the home was destroyed because it was such a fast moving fire,” he said.
Cone advised residents should never re-enter a burning building to attempt to extinguish a fire themselves.
Maine State Fire Marshal Tim Lowell was called to investigate, but as of Tuesday morning he had yet to determine a cause of origin.
According to the Houlton tax maps, the building is assessed at $61,400.
