Two occupants of a house in the Penobscot County town of Corinth and eight animals escaped a weekend blaze that kept local firefighters occupied for longer than expected.
The fire on White Schoolhouse Road was reported in the early morning hours Sunday.
Firefighters from the Corinth Fire Department rescued two people from the house. Both were taken by ambulance to a local hospital, according to the department.
Additionally, three dogs, two cats and three small birds were found and rescued from the home. All are “reported to be doing well,” the fire department said.
Despite a quick response, the Corinth firefighters were left short-handed for an “extended period of time,” the department said, because a local ambulance was not available and mutual aid took time to arrive. Additionally, the freezing temperatures and a “stubborn, deep-seated” fire in the attic, slowed efforts to put out the blaze.
The fire is believed to have started in the area of the wood stove chimney, the department said.
The home was a total loss, but “many valuable items were able to be recovered in good condition,” the department said.