ACTON — Ken Ridolfi had set his alarm clock for 3:30 a.m., intending to get up early, but when alarms reverberated through his home at 3 a.m., it was smoke detectors sounding.
His home was on fire.
This morning, all that remained of the two-story structure was a pile of smoking rubble. Fire investigators were due on the scene sometime today, to try and determine what caused the blaze.
“The smoke detectors saved my life,” said Ridolfi, perched on the back of his car, his two dogs beside him. “I’d be under the rubble,” if they hadn’t sounded, he said.
Acton Fire Chief Ed Walsh said the home was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.
“The house was completely involved. There was fire shooting out of every window,” he said.
Firefighters from Shapleigh, Wakefield, N.H. and Lebanon along with the Acton department ferried water to the scene at 222 H Road, also known as Maplebrook Farm. The Salvation Army and the York Fire Department’s “Smart” truck provided sustenance to firefighters as they worked to put out the blaze.
About 30 to 40 firefighters fought the fire, Walsh estimated. While the house and attached garage were completely destroyed, a barn was saved, along with a truck and trailer.
Ridolfi said when the smoke alarms sounded he got up and looked around and at first saw nothing until he looked toward the mudroom. That’s when he saw a red glow. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and opened the mudroom door, and attempted to put the fire out, but it was too powerful.
“I grabbed my cell phone and the dogs and went out and called 911,” he said. Then, he pulled his car out of the garage and went to the driveway to guide firefighters to the location.
As he prepared to talk with representatives of the Southern Maine Chapter of the American Red Cross this morning, neighbors stopped by to offer help ”“ clothes, shoes, and other necessities.
Ridolfi pulled up photos of his home on his cell phone, taken in the winter when snow blanketed the ground. One end of the large two story structure sported windows from top to bottom. The home had been built by a friend.
This morning, as the magnitude of what has transpired began to set in, he looked to the smoking pile of rubble and to the future.
“Maybe I can persuade him to build another,” he said.
Firefighters emphasized the importance of smoke detectors.
“They literally saved his life,” said Assistant Chief Pete Smith.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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