A motel guest with a coffee mug and a firefighter with a garden hose helped prevent an electrical fire from spreading Saturday at the Pioneer Motel on Route 1 in Edgecomb.
Dave Luby of Mooers Forks, New York, said he discovered flames in his room while he was eating a sandwich. He filled a coffee mug with water and threw it on the flames, then repeated numerous times until the flames were under control. He then notified hotel management, who called 911.
Firefighters from Edgecomb and three neighboring towns responded to finish the job and clear the building of smoke.
The fire appears to have started in an exhaust fan in a bathroom, according to Edgecomb fire Chief Roy Potter.
Potter said an early-arriving firefighter used a garden hose to extinguish some smoldering materials.
When more firefighters arrived, they cut a hole in the ceiling and found a couple of charred beams, Potter said. They extinguished hot spots and used special fans to clear the building of smoke.
Lincoln County Communications dispatched firefighters at 5 p.m.
In addition to the Edgecomb Fire Department, the Boothbay, Newcastle and Wiscasset fire departments responded, as well as Central Maine Power Co., the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the Wiscasset Ambulance Service. CMP shut off power to the building during the response.
The last firefighters cleared the scene at 6:27 p.m.