A Dresden woman lost her home in a fire late Friday morning that drew firefighters from several towns in an attempt to have enough water and manpower to put the fire out.

Dresden Fire Chief Steve Lilly said the fire at 131 Hunter Road was fully engulfed when crews arrived. The road was soft, making it challenging to get the trucks through a section of the long dirt road. The wind created a challenge and it took firefighters extra time to establish the waterline because the road wouldn’t hold up for a water shuttle. Several hundred feet of line had to be laid down along the road. Firefighters also had to dedicate a fair amount of water to a 500-gallon propane in back of the home to keep it cool.

Lilly estimated it took crews about an hour to knock down the fire. Firefighters also battled a woods fire near the home simultaneously. State fire marshal investigators were on scene.

The two-story home, which was insured, belongs to Janet Stewart and was a total loss. Stewart was not home at the time of the fire and her dogs were not in the burning structure. There were no injuries reported.

The state fire marshal’s office investigated but due to the extend of damage, was unable to determine the cause of the fire.

Mutual aid was called to the fire at around 11:45 a.m. Firefighters were on scene from Richmond, Pittston, Woolwich, West Bath, Wiscasset, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Alna, Gardiner and a crew from Randolph responded.

Lilly noted that volunteer fire departments struggle to keep up membership. Despite the number of towns responding, he said manpower was still a challenge.

dmoore@timesrecord.com

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