Freezing temperatures made fighting a Thursday morning fire on Libby Court an extra challenge — and also contributed to the cause of the blaze that started in a carport.

Bath firefighters were called to 4 Libby Court at 8:36 a.m. and arrived on scene four minutes later. The fire had started in the carport and quickly spread to the attached home, owned by Eric Smith who was at work. Bath Fire Chief Lawrence Renaud said Smith’s girlfriend was home at the time and reported the fire. She made it out along with a couple of cats and dogs. Renaud said one cat was taken to a veterinarian for treatment after exposure to heat and smoke conditions.

The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental by an investigator from the state fire marshal’s office who responded to the fire scene later Thursday. Renaud said the pickup truck in the carport wasn’t starting correctly that morning and that an open flame device was placed in front of the truck to assist in warming up the vehicle. This is what fire investigators believe started the fire. The home, a twostory structure with a half-basement, was insured.

The home sustained severe damage, but Bath Fire Capt. Christopher Cummins said the damage was contained to the carport and the side of the home the carport is attached to. There is smoke and water damage but the occupants should be able to salvage some of their belongings, such as clothes on the second floor.

Renaud said firefighters from Brunswick, Bath and Woolwich responded to the scene as well, along with a contingent of Topsham officers and the Topsham Fire Chief Brian Stockdale. Phippsburg Fire Department was on standby at the scene with an ambulance and Woolwich provided station coverage initially, before responding to the scene as well. Wiscasset Fire Department also provided station coverage.

Department responses are increasing because the personnel in each of these departments is shrinking, Renaud said, so departments have to reach out a little further to get the personnel needed, “especially today battling the weather and topography.”

There is the threat of slipping and sliding on ice in freezing temperatures like firefighters experienced Thursday, which creates an initial safety challenge, the chief said, along with the exposure to the cold. You have to worry about the trucks freezing up so you have to be diligent about moving water at all times even when you’re not putting it on the fire. After the firefighters from the interior and exterior crew get wet, they start freezing up, so there needs to be a place they can warm up.

Also, because the home at 4 Libby Court is on a steep incline, they were unable to use the aerial ladder and had limited access with equipment so they had to use ground ladders. The cold also drained the battery of the thermal imaging camera and the radios stopped transmitting because they froze up.

“I was very impressed with the crew I had,” Renaud said.

Crews saved the structure even when the odds were all against them initially. The firefighters on scene attacking the fire were well-trained, Renaud said, and “they did it perfectly.”

The open flame heating device that was used to try to warm up the vehicle in the open carport, Renaud said, wasn’t an appropriate device for the application.

“An open flame device shouldn’t be used to heat up an automobile, it’s very dangerous,” he said.

He added that in extreme cold temperatures, “we just need to prepare ourselves better in our everyday life for the cold.”

Suggestions include keeping an extra set of clothing, such as a warm jacket, extra gloves and hat in your vehicle in the event you have to leave your residence. Keep your coats and boots next to an exit, Renaud said, because “there’s nothing worse than standing on ice in bare feet.”

dmoore@timesrecord.com

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