A woman at home with her two childreen called the Scarborough Fire Department Wednesday morning to report what she thought was a furnance problem because her carbon monoxide detector was going off.

As firefighters were on their way to 26 Powderhorn Drive in the Pleasant Hill section, the woman called back to say there was smoke in the house, said Fire Chief Michael Thurlow.

Firefighters arrived to find fire in the garage and extending into the attic above it.

They were able to bring the fire under control in about 15 minutes, but not before it did extensive damage to the garage. Firefighters had to work from an aerial ladder, ripping up pieces of the roof to vent the heat inside while crews sprayed water on the interior.

The main portion of the house escaped serious damage, however, Thurlow said. There were no injuries.

Thurlow said the earlier alert about the carbon monoxide detector gave firefighters a little extra time, which might have helped reduce the damage. There was a short delay as firefighters had to shovel out hydrants that were covered with snow from the blizzard.

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Investigators have just started the investigation and have not yet determined a cause of the fire, according to Thurlow.

The Police Department reported that Powderhorn Drive would be closed to traffic and motorists should expect delays in the area.

David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:

dhench@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @Mainehenchman


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