PENOBSCOT, Maine — Firefighters from seven towns spent several hours Friday night battling a structure fire destroyed a home on the Bagaduce River. One of the homeowners was treated for smoke inhalation.
The fire on Dale’s Lane was reported at about 5 p.m., Chief Dennis Robertson of the Penobscot Fire Department said Saturday. Homeowner Joseph Alley told firefighters he had been using a riding lawnmower that day while doing some work at the New Gloucester family’s seasonal home. When he went inside to have supper, he said he parked the machine next to a bale of hay.
“It caught the hay on fire,” Robertson said.
The fire spread throughout the garage, then to the house. Joseph and Susan Alley opened the windows and doors because of the spreading smoke, but that didn’t help, Robertson said. By the time the first firefighters arrived on scene, the fire spread quickly, aided by the blustery wind.
The wind and cold were among the challenges faced by the volunteer firefighters from all around the peninsula, including Penobscot, Castine, Orland, Sedgwick, Blue Hill, Brooklin and Brooksville. Another complicating factor was the location of the home — nearly half a mile down an unimproved camp road.
“That created a few issues with keeping water going,” Robertson said.
Also, one of the trucks from the Castine Fire Department went down the wrong camp road and got stuck. The firefighters needed a wrecker to come haul it out, the chief said.
The first firefighters to arrive at the scene of the blaze worked to shut off gas from the three large propane tanks that were right against the burning building. Even after they shut the gas off, the tanks were still getting hot and the firefighters were worried about the risk of explosion, Robertson said.
“Once the roof collapsed, we were able to get in there to disconnect them and roll them away from the building,” he said.
Ultimately, about 30 firefighters worked at the scene until about 10 p.m. None suffered smoke inhalation or other injuries, though the chief said hypothermia was a worry. Joseph Alley, who did suffer from smoke inhalation, ended up being treated in an ambulance but did not need to be hospitalized, the chief said.
The house was insured, Robertson said.