PORTLAND, Maine — Fifteen people are displaced following an apartment fire in Portland.
The fire happened around 10 p.m. Tuesday at 49 Hanover Street.
A fire started on the first floor of the three-story apartment complex.
Portland Deputy Fire Chief Mike Nixon says the cause of the fire appears to be a ceiling fan left running in the bathroom.
“You know bathroom ceiling fans. You don’t want to keep them on for an extended period of time. And make sure your smoke detectors, even if they are hardwired, make sure there are battery backups because early notification for this fire made a difference,” Nixon said.
Portland firefighters used three ladder trucks to let smoke escape from the top floors of the building.
The fire was contained to the first-floor apartment where it started.
No one was injured.
A tenant says his girlfriend helped rescue several animals from the apartment, including, lizards, snakes and a ferret.