By Sharon Kiley Mack
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
Copyright 2007 Bangor Daily News
ST. ALBANS, Maine — Two homes were heavily damaged Monday night in fires at St. Albans and Fairfield, but fire officials in those communities said they were able to save the main part of both structures.
More than 35 firefighters from St. Albans, Hartland, Corinna and Dexter fought a blaze at 230 Todds Corner Road in St. Albans Monday night. The fire, reported at 6:20 p.m., was of unknown origin, Chief David Crocker said.
The home’s owner, Willis Shibles, was at work at the time. A neighbor was able to open a door and let Shibles’ dogs out of the burning home.
“We were having a meeting here at the fire station and we were able to have five trucks on the road in about a minute and a half,” Crocker said.
Despite the speed of the response, Crocker said, the fire already was showing through the roof of the double-wide mobile home when firefighters arrived.
“The wind was pushing into the house and that sure didn’t help,” he said. “The fire got up into the ceiling and shot right through the house.”
Most of the damage was contained to one room. “It burned the roof right off that room,” Crocker said. The rest of the house had smoke and water damage.
Crocker said the cause of the fire could not be determined and that he was notifying the State Fire Marshal’s Office to conduct an investigation.
Shibles was staying with relatives Monday night, Crocker said, and the Red Cross had been notified to provide assistance.
Meanwhile, Fairfield firefighters were sent at about 5:30 p.m. to Hardwood Lane, off Norridgewock Road, when a 911 caller said the bedroom in a mobile home was on fire.
Capt. Jack Adams said the fire began when an electric water heater in a closet ignited items around it.
Adams, who did not have the owners’ names at hand, said the fire was contained to the one bedroom but because of smoke in the home, the owners were staying elsewhere Monday night.
Adams said there were no injuries and that the rest of the structure was in good condition.