PORTLAND, Maine — Four people escaped an early morning house fire Tuesday at 40 Deering Ave.
Homeowner Nancy Teras said she, her husband, stepdaughter and mother escaped the 1890s-era home shortly before dawn when flames broke out on the back wall of the building, where part of the roof eventually collapsed.
Portland Fire Department spokesman Tim Nangle said the three-alarm blaze was reported around 5 a.m. as an outdoor fire behind 158 Grant St. Firefighters from the Bramhall Station on Congress Street found “heavy fire” behind the Deering Avenue home.
Nangle said the building is subdivided into apartments, but it appeared the upper floors were unoccupied.
“Every Portland fire company responded to the fire,” Nangle said. One firefighter was taken from the scene for a medical condition that was not life-threatening, he added.
Nangle said one cat died in the fire, and another was rescued and reunited with Teras’ family.
Neighbor John DiBernardo said he awoke to the sound of approaching fire engines and left his house when the sirens stopped directly outside. From the street he saw flames leaping 10 to 20 feet above the roof, he estimated.
Police closed Deering Avenue from Park Avenue to Congress Street and several blocks throughout the neighborhood, including portions of Cumberland Avenue and Grant and Sherman streets.
In addition to the collapse of the roof into the third-floor attic space, the back of the residence was heavily damaged, according to Nangle
The cause of the fire is now under investigation, and Nangle said investigators will also be looking to see if smoke detectors were installed and working.
Fire and rescue departments from neighboring communities including Scarborough and Falmouth provided coverage at city fire stations during the fire, Nangle said.