BANGOR, Maine — A fire that broke out in a Charles Street apartment building Tuesday afternoon has temporarily displaced six people who were living there.
The fire began shortly before 1:30 p.m. in a second-story apartment in the five-unit building at 56 Charles St., Bangor Fire Chief Tom Higgins said.
The five tenants who were home at the time all got out safely, Higgins said. The woman in whose apartment the fire began was able to rescue her dog, but her cat died in the fire, he said.
Higgins said that an investigator from the state fire marshal’s office determined that the fire began on the stovetop and was accidental.
The chief said that more than a dozen Bangor firefighters arrived within three minutes and contained the blaze to the apartment in which it began. Tenants of the other apartments, however, won’t be allowed to return until power has been restored to the building and smoke damage has been addressed.
Tenant Ethan Wardwell said he was taking a nap when he awoke to the smell of smoke and the sound of a smoke alarm. He said that he did not lose any belongings in the fire but that his clothing and other personal items smelled of smoke.
Wardwell said he planned to stay at his girlfriend’s home until he is able to return to his own home.
A team of six American Red Cross Disaster Action Response workers was at the fire Tuesday afternoon handing out bottled water and interviewing displaced tenants to determine their immediate needs.
Danielle Hardre, Red Cross disaster program manager for Aroostook, Piscataquis and Penobscot counties, said the team wanted to ensure everyone had a safe place to sleep, food, clothing, emotional support and other essentials.