FAIRFIELD — A device used to dry hockey equipment started a fire that destroyed a single-family home Thursday morning on Ohio Hill Road.
The fire at 211 Ohio Hill Road was reported about 8:20 a.m. The home was “fully involved” with fire when crews first arrived.
The cause of the fire was ruled accidental, according to Fairfield Fire Chief Duane Bickford. The son of the couple who owned the home was using a machine to dry his hockey equipment, and when he came out of the shower, he saw that it had caught fire, Bickford said.
No people were injured in the fire, but the family had three dogs and a cat. Two dogs are safe, Bickford said, but one is still missing. Fairfield police Officer Shanna Blodgett took the cat to a veterinarian, where it was euthanized.
The home was owned by Vickie Michaud, who lived there with her boyfriend, Larry Davis, and their son, Bickford said. She has insurance and the family has a place to stay the night, he said. Farther back on the property was another home untouched by the fire, which Bickford said was owned by family.
People carry several firearms that were salvaged Thursday from an Ohio Hill Road residence in Fairfield that was destroyed by fire. The man at left is carrying specialty tire rims, according to a firefighter. The home and most of the contents were destroyed. Staff photo by David Leaming
People could be seen carrying several firearms that were salvaged from the house, as well as what a firefighter said were specialty tire rims. Even so, firefighters said the home and most of its contents were destroyed.
Emergency crews were still dousing hot spots at 10:15 a.m., more than an hour after the roof had collapsed.
Smoke billowed out over the house, obscuring it and the firefighters, as well as nearby homes, from view at times. The siding on the home was peeled off in places and firefighters used axes and a chain saw to tear down parts of the home. Nearby trees also were taken down.
Firefighters waded through the more than 2 feet of snow in the yard in front of the home to reach the remaining fire with a hose. One of the ladder trucks also was used to reach over the house to part of the fire, which was at an end of the house not easily accessible by a driveway.
Crews from Fairfield, Benton, Oakland, Clinton Skowhegan, Waterville and Winslow responded to the fire, and Albion covered the Fairfield station. Maine State Police and Fairfield police were also at the scene.
Officials closed a portion of the road up to Fish Road, where the tankers refilled their water at a fire hydrant. Ohio Hill Road runs between U.S. Route 201 and Route 104.
Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239
mstamour@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @madelinestamour
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