NEWBURGH, Maine — Several dogs, the only occupants of a vacant house, died Friday of smoke inhalation in a fire on North Road, according to a Newburgh fire department official.
Exactly how many animals died was not known, Assistant Fire Chief Keith Miller said late Friday afternoon.
The Maine state fire marshal’s office was called in to determine a cause, he said.
The fire was reported at 12:36 p.m. by a neighbor, according to the Penobscot Regional Communications Center.
Flames were coming out the basement windows when firefighters arrived, Miller said. The assistant chief said the blaze was under control in about 20 minutes.
The homeowner, whose name was not released, was keeping the dogs at the house but was not living there, he said.