A Penobscot County deputy sheriff and Glenburn firefighter who ran into a burning Glenburn home Tuesday morning saved the lives of four dogs that were trapped inside.
The Glenburn Fire Department learned of an ATV that was on fire outside of a Lakeview Road home at about 9 a.m. Tuesday. By the time Penobscot County Deputy Sheriff Steve Boyd arrived on the scene, the fire had spread from the ATV to a pickup truck, pontoon boat and the garage, Glenburn fire Chief Chris Lavoie said.
While Boyd and a member of the fire department assessed the scene, they could hear barks coming from inside, Lavoie said.
Boyd and a member of the fire department were able to circle around the back of the home, kick open a door and save the four dogs, Lavoie said.
The residents were not home at the time of the fire, he said.
The fire closed a portion of Lakeview Road from the Glenburn town office to the road’s intersection with Hudson Road for more than two hours. Crews from Bangor, Corinth, Glenburn, Hermon, Hudson and Levant all responded to the fire.
Gusty winds helped the fire spread, Lavoie said.
Most of the damage was contained to the two vehicles that caught fire, the house’s exterior walls and the garage, Lavoie said. But the fire could have been much worse if members of the fire department didn’t happen to be at the station Tuesday, he said.
Glenburn is a call-based department, so the station is generally not staffed consistently. But today the department had one person on duty at the fire station, Lavoie said.
That firefighter, Boyd and Glenburn Public Works Director Shawn Braley — who is also a Glenburn firefighter — were all in the station when the call came in, allowing for a quick response.
“That made the difference today, having people in the firehouse ready to respond,” Lavoie said. “That made a huge difference in the outcome today.”
Lavoie said he is still wrapping up his investigation of the fire, but the cause appears to be accidental and the home remains livable. Lavoie didn’t have an estimated cost associated with the damage Tuesday afternoon.