SACO — Three people were left homeless Sunday after an early morning fire destroyed their rental home at 90 Temple St.
The spectacular fire, which was reported at 1:06 a.m., sent flames shooting through the roof of the three-story home near downtown Saco.
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Capt. Bill Madore of the Saco Fire Department said two adults and a child – their names were unavailable – were asleep when one of the adults awoke to the smell of smoke. They made it out of the building, although two family cats remain unaccounted for, he said.
Madore described the home as a sprawling three-story mansion. The fire inflicted heavy damage to the roof and the third floor. The first and second floors sustained extensive smoke and water damage.
Several neighboring fire departments, including Biddeford and Old Orchard Beach, responded. Fire crews spent most of the night mopping up and extinguishing fire outbreaks. Crews did not leave the scene until around 7 a.m.
Madore said the family was put up in a local motel by the American Red Cross. Their home is unlivable and will likely have to be demolished.
According to the city of Saco’s property tax records, the home sits on a quarter-acre lot and is valued at $332,100.
“The cause remains under investigation,” Madore said. “We can’t rule out an electrical problem or smoking materials.”
The state Fire Marshal’s Office was notified, but as of Sunday night had not sent an investigator to the scene.
It was the second major fire in Saco over the weekend. A two-story apartment building at 166 Beach St. was damaged by a fire that broke out around 2 a.m. Saturday. The cause of that fire remains under investigation.
Madore said the two fires do not appear to be related.
Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
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