SANDY RIVER PLANTATION — A Rhode Island man received minors burns to his hands when he tried to put out a fire on Tuesday afternoon at his camp at 40 South Shore Drive, Rangeley Fire Rescue Chief Michael Bacon said Thursday.

Homeowner David O’Brian was fixing a leak in the bathroom at the time.

About 20 firefighters from Rangeley, Eustis and Phillips responded to a report of smoke in a building, possible structure fire at 1:54 p.m. Tuesday. NorthStar EMS ambulance crews also responded. About 3,700 gallons of water was used to put out the fire, Bacon said.

When firefighters arrived, smoke was coming out of the eves. When Bacon did a perimeter check of the outside of the building, he found a rear window had broken and flames were showing, he said.

The camp is a two-story wood frame house about 30-feet by 20-feet, he said.

The fire originated on the first-floor and traveled in the wall to the second-floor, Bacon said.

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O’Brian received minor injuries to top of both hands, he said.

He called Sgt. Joel Davis of the Office of the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office and discussed the fire and what he was seeing and Davis agreed with him, Bacon said.

The fire started in a bathroom, he said. Bacon was waiting for an independent investigator sent by O’Brien’s insurance agency to release the cause before making it public.

“I do not feel it is suspicious,” he said. “It was an accidental fire.”

The camp will need some work before it is livable, he said.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net


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