BRIDGTON, Maine — Crews who responded to a two-alarm fire in Bridgton Sunday morning were at the scene for several hours as frigid temperatures caused equipment to freeze, hindering efforts to quickly contain the blaze.
When firefighters got to the house fire on Kansas Road, they faced frigid temperatures, Deputy Chief Paul Field said.
Field said the fire started in the chimney and quickly spread to the attic. But firefighters had to contend with low temperatures that caused every piece of equipment to freeze, making it difficult to put the fire out, he said.
“Anything that uses water, it freezes — our valves, our pumps, our hose lines. We’ve got ice on the road. It’s just on ice,” Field said.
Field said the house was a total loss but the two people inside at the time of the fire made it out safely before the fire demolished the structure. He said the Red Cross was assisting the family.