MEDWAY, Maine — An electrical issue is believed to have caused a fire that heavily damaged a home on Wilderness Drive early Tuesday morning, according to officials.
Crews from five towns were dispatched to the 1½ story dwelling shortly after 4 a.m., Medway Fire Chief Jon Buckingham said.
Firefighters arrived to heavy smoke pushing through the second-floor eaves, but crews were able to knock the flames down quickly, Buckingham said.
The chief added the blaze started in a second-story bathroom, and a man, a woman, their two children and a cat all escaped unharmed.
Although crews were challenged by the fact that the home was an older building that has been remodeled several times, Wilderness Drive is the only road in town that has fire hydrants, and there happened to be one in front of the house, Buckingham said.
“Usually we’re relying on tankers in Medway,” he said. “This worked out well that we were able to supply our engine without having to rely on tankers.”
Buckingham said one of the homeowners was awakened to a beeping sound that appeared to be an alarm clock and quickly got his family out safely. The home had no working smoke detectors.
“We can’t stress the importance of having at least one if not more smoke detectors on every level of the residence,” Buckingham said.
The chief said an exhaust fan in the bathroom appears to have ignited the fire. The state fire marshal’s office aided in the investigation and the cause was determined to be electrical.
Buckingham said there was heavy smoke and fire damage on the second floor and heavy water damage on the first floor.
It was not clear if the family had insurance, but the American Red Cross is assisting them.
Firefighters from Medway, Millinocket, East Millinocket, Mattawamkeag and Sherman went to the home, and crews were there for about four hours.
