MILFORD, Maine — A home on Richards Lane that has an attached apartment was damaged by fire Thursday evening.
Milford Assistant Fire Chief Matt Redding, who lives a half-mile from the scene, was there in a matter of minutes after firefighters were dispatched at 8:20 p.m.
“There was smoke coming but there were no flames visible at that time,” Redding said Monday afternoon.
Redding said the fire started in a furnace room that also contains the homeowner’s office and a child’s bedroom. A husband and wife, three teenage kids and a tenant in the attached apartment all got out safely, the assistant chief said.
Firefighters were able to contain the fire in about an hour, Redding said. The fire has been ruled accidental, although authorities aren’t ruling out that a discarded cigarette may have caused it.
The man who owns the house is a heavy smoker, according to Redding.
Redding said the home suffered heavy smoke and water damage.
Crews from Old Town, Bradley and Milford collaborated to extinguish the fire, Redding said.
