BOWDOIN
Firefighters from five departments worked to put out a chimney fire that spread into the interior of an Augusta Road home Wednesday.
Residents of the singlestory home at 1841 Augusta Road reported the chimney fire at 3:43 p.m. Bowdoin Fire Chief Tom Garrepy said the fire started in a wall between the wood stove and the exterior chimney.
Garrepy said Richmond First Deputy Fire Chief Ian Alexander was first on scene and called for a second alarm because smoke was showing from the roof.
Garrepy said the fire was difficult to reach. The fire got into the cockloft — structural space above the ceiling and below the rafters — but firefighters punched a hole through the roof to stop it and had to pull most of the brick out of the fireplace, Garrepy said.
A crew went into the house with a hose and pulled down the ceiling above the wood stove. Crews also ended up pulling most of the siding and wood planking from around the chimney to get inside, where structural timbers were burning.
It was around 45 minutes before the fire was knocked down. The house is owned by Robert Eger, who does not reside at the home, according to Garrepy.
Bowdoinham, Richmond and Litchfield fire departments responded with trucks along with Topsham Fire Department, which brought an engine and ladder truck. Lisbon EMS was on scene and Lisbon covered Bowdoin’s station. Central Maine Power Co. also responded because power had to be cut to the house.
Augusta Road, which is U.S. Route 201, was reduced to one lane by Sagadahoc County Sheriff ’s Department deputies. Crews cleared the scene at around 5:30 p.m.
The home sustained structural damage and is uninhabitable, Garrepy said, but is fixable.
All in all, “we had a great mutual aid turnout” and things worked out well.
Bowdoin Fire Department and mutual aid departments also responded to a chimney fire Saturday night on Litchfield Road that didn’t result in serious damage.
Garrepy said it is important residents using wood stoves make sure their chimneys are clean.
Fluctuating temperatures can cause issues, he said, because when people run their stoves low in warmer weather, creosote builds up and then burns when stoves are fired back up in colder weather.
dmoore@timesrecord.com
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