Fire destroyed a house at 4 Libby Court in Bath on Thursday morning and the extreme cold posed challenges for firefighters.

Firefighters were called at about 8:30 a.m. for a fire in a Ford pickup inside a carport, said fire Capt. Chris Cummings.

The carport was attached to the house, and when firefighters arrived flames had spread to the wall of the house and up into the attic, he said.

One person was home at the time. Nobody was injured, and two dogs and a cat made it out safely.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the fire started after the resident had left a space heater underneath the pickup to thaw components frozen in the cold temperatures.

The Bath Fire Department fire called in firefighters from Brunswick, West Bath, Woolwich, Phippsburg and Wiscasset to help douse the fire and provide coverage in case other emergency calls came in, he said.

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Temperatures hovering near zero created complications for the response. Hoses that weren’t flowing water would freeze up quickly, reducing their usefulness. Also, the cold saps energy from batteries, limiting the use of equipment like the department’s thermal imaging camera, which firefighters use to locate hidden areas that are still burning, Cummings said.

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

dhench@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @Mainehenchman


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