KENNEBUNK — A mother and her three children are without a home after a clothes dryer malfunctioned, igniting a fire that destroyed a 153-year-old home in Kennebunk and sent a firefighter to the hospital.

Kennebunk District Fire Chief Bill VanDeinse said about 50 firefighters battled the blaze, which was reported shortly after 10 a.m. for more than four hours.

A mother and three children – two 10-year-olds and a 13-year-old – made it out of the home at 192 Alfred Road safely and are staying with a friend, VanDeinese said. They were hot harmed, he said.

Two family pets – a cat and a guinea pig – perished, while a second cat remains unaccounted for, he said.

VanDeinse said the two-story home was a total loss. According to tax records, the home was built in 1860 and was valued at $163,000.

A firefighter sustained minor injuries and was transported to York Hospital, he said.

VanDeinse said the fire started when a clothes dryer located on the first floor of the home malfunctioned.

Firefighters from Alfred, Arundel, Biddeford, Goodwin’s Mills, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Wells responded to the blaze.


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