PHIPPSBURG, Maine — A family was unharmed after a home fire about 3 p.m. Thursday in Phippsburg.
Bert and Callie Wells were putting their daughter down for a nap when her cries led them to smoke coming from the second floor of their home.
“My wife went back up to see what was going on and saw some smoke. And the power went out of the whole house, so I ran up and got her and our dog, and we all came outside, and then the smoke started coming out of the windows,” Bert Wells said.
“I didn’t see any flames, but I saw smoke,” Callie Wells added.
Phippsburg Fire Chief James Totman said smoke was billowing from the eaves of the home when firefighters arrived. Totman attributed the fire to a cracked chimney, with the blaze appearing through the wall behind the family’s wood stove.
He said the flames were “just breaking through” when firefighters arrived and broke open the wall.
“Right now, all I can say is, we had a very good stop, and they’re still going to have a house to come home to,” he said.
Even though the house was in reasonable condition, Totman assumed there would still be about $25,000-$35,000 worth of damage.
Firefighters were seen pulling pieces of charred wood and other items out of the house.
Totman commended Bath, Arrowsic, Woolwich and West Bath firefighters who collaborated to fight the blaze for their “perfect” teamwork.
“That’s what mutual aid is for, and we need to give the mutual aid towns a lot of praise,” he said.
Totman said further investigation of the fire would be conducted by the state fire marshal.