VAN BUREN, Maine — A chimney fire that spread swiftly through a house Tuesday evening has left a Van Buren couple homeless.
After being called out at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday for a chimney fire, local firefighters arriving at the home on Route 1 found “smoke coming from under the eaves,” Van Buren Fire Chief Brian Caron said Wednesday morning from the scene.
The fire chief said it was an older, double-brick chimney with the mortar cracked in places.
The homeowner, Gilman Morin, was watching television with his wife Tuesday evening when he saw flames reflected in the TV screen, according to Caron.
“We made sure they were out of the house safely and then attacked the fire,” Caron said. “Unfortunately we could not save it and it is a total loss.
Thirty firefighters responding from Van Buren, Grand Isle, St. Leonard, New Brunswick, and Grand Falls, New Brunswick, were able to keep the fire from spreading to a nearby neighbor’s home and an outbuilding housing cattle, Caron said.
Firefighters worked in temperatures dipping to 5 degrees below zero overnight, but Caron said fortunately there was no wind. Some remained on the scene until about 11 a.m. Wednesday mopping up.
The chief said he was not sure if there was a working smoke detector in the home.
The homeowners are currently staying with family and the American Red Cross has been contacted to offer any assistance they can, he said.
The home was not insured, Caron said.
