WEST BATH

A family of five is safe but homeless after their home was badly damaged in a fire early Tuesday morning.

West Bath Fire Chief Greg Payson said firefighters were called to a reported dishwasher on fire in a residence at 26 Mountain Road at 1:53 a.m. The first firefighters on scene found heavy smoke coming from the building and called a first alarm, bringing Bath, Brunswick and Woolwich fire departments. Brunswick, Phippsburg and Arrowsic departments all responded with tankers.

Payson said firefighters then found heavy fire in the kitchen and said it took about 30 minutes to knock the fire down. They then spent a couple hours on scene with overhaul, mak ing sure the fire was completely out which was more difficult because the home had some additions on it, including a false roof — a roof on top of another roof.

There was a smoke detector in the home that woke the family and “it saved their lives,” Payson said. The father, Don Trimble, got up and saw the kitchen was on fire and got out with his wife and three children, all who were unharmed. Two pets also got out of the home.

The home is structurally sound but will have to be gutted, Payson said. The American Red Cross responded and are helping the Trimble family, which is staying in a local hotel. They did have insurance on the single-story ranch, the chief said.

It appears it was an electrical fire that started in the kitchen but the exact cause remains under investigation, Payson said. He called the state fire marshal’s office which has not yet responded to the fire scene.

dmoore@timesrecord.com