BRUNSWICK — Firefighters from Brunswick and Topsham were at the scene of an early morning fire today at 13 Swett St. that Fire Chief Kenneth Brillant said left the building “gutted.”

Neighbors in the residential area say they were woken up around 4:30 a.m. and told to evacuate.

Crews battled the fire for several hours, according to Brillant. Most residents self-evacuated, but police officers had to assist someone from the third floor, he said. There were no injuries.

Those living in the area grouped together in the winter drizzle as temperatures hovered around 30 degrees. Firefighters used ladder trucks and hoses to attempt to extinguish the stubborn fire, which could be seen through the windows of the three-story building.

Dillon Havener, who lives on nearby High Street, said he awoke “to a bunch of fire trucks pulling in all at once” on the narrow streets.

“I woke up to hearing popping noises, thinking someone was banging something around,” said High Street resident Dina Draper, one of several residents who fled from their nearby homes into the dark, rainy street while still in their pajamas. “I came outside and they (firefighters) were here, and that thing was going. And then they just told everyone to evacuate just in case it spreads. So we’ve been out here waiting.”

“I heard the cop cars and fire trucks outside my window, and I thought something was happening. I looked outside the second floor was on fire,” said Chelsea Dean, a neighbor who was trying to wrap a heavy blanket around herself. “This is a little dramatic, but it’s cold,” she added. “I’ve been out here for about two hours now.”

“I looked out, and all you could see was smoke,” said High Street neighbor Misty Coombs. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ … I tried to turn on my light, but there was no power, no nothing.”

Coombs recalled seeing firefighters enter and exit the burning building. “There was one that I saw that was just so exhausted, and they’ve been grabbing bottles of water. They thought they had it and it just started back up. This is crazy. I’m just glad everybody got out OK. … There’s a lot of people that live there.”

Wednesday’s early morning inclement weather was somewhat of a hazard, Brillant said, making the roads “slick” with ice. Another early ambulance call left them shorthanded with only five people to respond to the fire until mutual aid arrived. Given the restrictions of manpower and weather, Brillant said crews did an “awesome job” controlling the fire.

By 10:30 a.m. most of the crews had left, leaving the deputy fire chief and a few detectives at the scene to help determine the cause of the fire, which has not yet been released.

According to town records, the building is owned by the Greater Brunswick Housing Corporation, which acquired the property in 2013, and is valued at $167,000. It was built around 1880. There are three units in the building — two 3-bedroom apartments and one 2-bedroom.

Greater Brunswick Housing Corporation is a nonprofit housing development corporation organized by and affiliated with the Brunswick Housing Authority that supports the development of low-income housing. The organization is working to house those displaced by the fire and the Red Cross was contacted to assist with basic amenities like clothing, Brillant said. 

A representative from the Housing Corporation was not immediately available for comment.

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