December 26, 2012

Faulty wire sparked fire at South Portland home

A dog was saved but the home was destroyed in the Christmas Day blaze.

By David Hench dhench@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

SOUTH PORTLAND – Investigators who combed through the wreckage of a house that was destroyed by fire on Christmas Day say an electrical malfunction caused the blaze.

20121226_FireFollow
click image to enlarge

South Portland firefighters and state investigators comb through the wreckage at 15 Bodge St. in South Portland that burned in a fire on Christmas.

Gordon Chibroski / Staff Photographer

A wire in an exterior wall leading to a sump pump that ran often apparently sparked the fire, said Sgt. Joel Davis of the state Fire Marshal's Office.

Firefighters were called to the Bodge Street neighborhood after 8 p.m. for a report of smoke. When they got there, they found flames coming from the back of 15 Bodge St. The owner, Amy Maddox, had left to visit family members at 10:30 a.m., and nobody was at home.

There was such a large volume of contents in the small bungalow that firefighters had difficulty maneuvering, said Lt. Robb Couture.

The fire got into the attic and broke through the roof, so firefighters were called out of the building. They then fought the fire from outside, Couture said.

Firefighters rescued the woman's mini-poodle, Penny, which was trapped under debris on the front porch, he said. The dog was taken to a veterinarian but was not badly hurt.

A neighbor, who had tried to rescue the dog before firefighters arrived by breaking a window, was treated at the scene for a cut on the hand or arm, Couture said.

He said residents should be careful to keep doorways and exits clear of items, as a precaution in case of fire.

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

dhench@pressherald.com

 

Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form

Send question/comment to the editors




Further Discussion

Here at PressHerald.com we value our readers and are committed to growing our community by encouraging you to add to the discussion. To ensure conscientious dialogue we have implemented a strict no-bullying policy. To participate, you must follow our Terms of Use.

Questions about the article? Add them below and we’ll try to answer them or do a follow-up post as soon as we can. Technical problems? Email them to us with an exact description of the problem. Make sure to include:
  • Type of computer or mobile device your are using
  • Exact operating system and browser you are viewing the site on (TIP: You can easily determine your operating system here.)


Most…