WATERVILLE, Maine — A fire of unknown cause on Wednesday afternoon displaced five residents of a Silver Street duplex, a Waterville Fire Department captain said.
The fire at 48 Silver St. began about 1:45 p.m. in a second story bedroom, Capt. Rodney Alderman said Wednesday evening. Alderman said that firefighters had the blaze extinguished within about 15 minutes of their arrival.
While most of the fire damage was contained to the bedroom, there was light damage to other parts of the building, he said.
Alderman said that several investigators from the state fire marshal’s office, as well as a fire investigator with the Waterville department, remained at the duplex for several hours working to determine how the fire began.
Wednesday’s high temperatures and humidity made it tough going for the firefighters. Alderman said crews experienced several heat-related health problems while battling the blaze and that one firefighter might have suffered from burns to her knees. However, he said, no one needed to be taken to the hospital.
Alderman said the main concern for firefighters was that three of the people living in the duplex could not be accounted for about two hours after the fire, but firefighters eventually learned that the three were at an appointment in Portland.
Waterville firefighters were assisted by their counterparts from Winslow, Oakland and Fairfield, as well a a group of firefighters’ wives who brought them water and food.
Bangor Daily News writer Ryan McLaughlin contributed to this report.