BATH

A pair of fires displaced a family in Brunswick and some residents of a Bath senior housing complex over Labor Day weekend, but didn’t cause any injuries.

A group of elderly residents at Seacliff Apartments in Bath escaped safely after fire broke out inside one of the building’s 36 units on Saturday morning.

The fire at the Bath Housing property at 47 Floral St. in Bath was reported at 10:17 a.m.

“The guys made a tremendous stop,” Bath Fire Chief Lawrence Renaud said of the firefighter response.

The six-member crew on duty was able to extinguish the flames and more than 50 firefighters quickly responded from Bath and neighboring towns including Brunswick, West Bath, Woolwich, Phippsburg and Topsham.

“The sprinkler system in the hallways did activate, so I think that was in our favor,” Renaud said. “I can’t advocate enough about sprinkler systems. They do save property and lives.”

Renaud said no firefighters were injured. One bruised their hand or wrist but didn’t need to be taken to the hospital, he said.

An elderly resident was transported to the hospital for evaluation about an hour after the fire was reported, possibly due to anxiety but not due to injury from the fire.

Firefighters cleared the scene three hours after the fire was reported. Renaud expected to be back at the building today to investigate with members of the state fire marshal’s office.

A second floor apartment had a window open above the ground-floor apartment where flames were shooting from the window, causing smoke damage.

For the most part, there doesn’t seem to be any structural damage to the second floor, Renaud said. There are at least six units with water damage on the first floor and two with smoke damage on the second floor that are uninhabitable. The cause and origin of the fire haven’t been determined.

“The community support and effort and collaboration between all the fire departments, I couldn’t say enough about them,” said Debora Keller, Bath Housing executive director. “LifeChurch has just sprung forward to assist us.”

LifeChurch, based at the senior center next door, took in and fed residents while Bath Housing staff worked to make sure everyone was accounted for. Keller planned to be working with the Sagadahoc County Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross to make sure everyone’s needs are taken care of.

According to its social media page, Bath Housing is working with the Red Cross on a temporary relocation plan for some residents.

“This is something we train for,” Keller said. “We hope that it will never happen. Our priority is that nobody is injured and that nobody has been transported and we’re working on making sure that everybody is taken care of.”

Brunswick family displaced

A Brunswick fire official says a homeowner was burning weeds with a propane torch, which sparked a fire that damaged the property on Monday.

The fire at 304 Maine St. was reported just before 11 a.m. when a neighbor spotted the flames after the owner had moved to the other side of the house. The owner and dog were outside, and three cats were found safely inside the house, according to Brunswick fire Capt. David Hunter.

The front corner of the home suffered heavy damage where fire got into the wall. There was smoke damage throughout the house.

“They’ll be displaced for a while,” Hunter said, adding that the home is insured.

The heat, around 87 degrees, posed a challenge for firefighters, but they had the fire out in about 15 minutes, according to Hunter.

Fire crews from Freeport and Topsham assisted on scene.

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