STANDISH – Saturday proved a busy day and night for Standish fire and EMS crews with two fires breaking out in town.

According to Chief Brent Libby, Standish received a call at 11:53 a.m. from the homeowner at 7 Dale Lane in Standish reporting a fire in the basement.

Crews arrived seven minutes from the time of call to find smoke showing from the single-family, two-story, gambrel-style home. The owner who was home at the time discovered a fire in his basement and called the fire department.

The fire was contained to the basement of the home, however the entire home suffered smoke damage.

Investigation into the cause of the fire by the State Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that discarded woodstove ashes had been placed too close to combustible materials.

Standish Fire/EMS Chief Brent Libby advises residents that ashes from pellet stoves and woodstoves retain heat and must be discarded in a metal container and placed outside away from any structures.

No one was injured in the fire, and working smoke detectors alerted the occupants.

Firefighters and EMTs did successfully resuscitate a cat that was found in the home.

Units cleared the scene at 3:12 p.m.

Mutual aid on the scene was provided by Windham, Baldwin and Gorham fire departments. Station coverage was provided by Hollis, Sebago, Raymond and Buxton fire departments.

Later in the day, just as crews had left the Dale Lane fire, another blaze kept crews busy into the evening.

At 4:35 p.m., Standish Fire-EMS received a call from the resident at 487 Pond Road in Standish reporting the roof on fire around the chimney.

Chief Libby said crews arrived nine minutes from the time of call to find fire showing from the single-family, two-story, Cape Cod-style home. The tenant who was home at the time discovered the fire and called the fire department.

The fire was contained to the roof and interior ceiling of the home. However, the entire home suffered water damage.

The fire started around a chimney that has been in use due to the cold weather. No one was injured. Units cleared the scene at 7:34 p.m.

Mutual Aid on the scene provided by Windham and Gorham fire departments. Station coverage was provided by Limington, Sebago, Raymond and Buxton.