BREWER, Maine — A home on Union Street was significantly damaged by a fast-moving fire on Thursday morning, according to officials.
Brewer Deputy Fire Chief Ralph Cammack said the blaze started near a wooden fence and then quickly spread to a shed and to the house.
The homeowners and their dog managed to escape quickly, while a pair of cats were unaccounted for.
“We believe it started from wood ash” from his woodstove, said Cammack, noting that the ash was dumped near the fence.
Smoke could be seen from the Bangor side of the Penobscot River when the fire was called in shortly after 9 a.m. Traffic on lower Wilson Street was shut down throughout the morning.
Cammack said the blaze quickly spread into the attic, forcing firefighters to make an aggressive attack on the second floor of the residence.
The deputy chief added that the homeowners had “a lot of stuff in the house we had to get through,” which likely caused the fire to spread quicker.
Cammack did not hear any working smoke detectors inside the home. It also is unclear if the residents had insurance, he said.
Cammack said the damage to the residence was significant.
“I’ll be surprised if they’ll be able to live here,” he added.
Cammack also was concerned about the fire spreading to nearby homes, but the aggressiveness with which firefighters attacked the blaze kept it contained to the one house.
Firefighters from Brewer, Bangor, Eddington, Orrington and Holden helped fight the blaze. The state fire marshal’s office is investigating, although foul play is not suspected.
