Yarmouth Fire Department’s tower ladder combats the fire on Rogers Road on Jan. 27. Contributed / Yarmouth Fire Department

Within about a month, fires destroyed two homes in Yarmouth. The frequency and severity of the fires was unusual, said Yarmouth Fire Chief Michael Robitaille, as the town typically sees four house fires per year, and infrequently to this severe level of burn.

“Both (fires) were well involved quickly,” said Robitaille.

On March 1 at 3:43 a.m., the Fire Department received a call from a Florida Power and Light Co. employee about a fire at a vacant home on 14 Madeleine Point Road. By the time the Fire Department arrived on scene, not a single wall of the structure remained standing, said Robitaille.

“Everything, including the roof, had burnt up and was in a pile of ashes in the basement … certainly this fire burned for a little while,” said Robitaille.

The cause and origin of this fire is under investigation by the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office. At the time of the fire, no one was living in the house, as the occupant was deceased and relatives were in the process of clearing out the home. The crew returned to the station before 5:30 a.m., with no injuries reported.

The remains of a house on Madeleine Point Road following a fire on March 1. Contributed / Yarmouth Fire Department

On Jan. 27 at 12:08 p.m., a fire was reported at 239 Rogers Road by a passing delivery driver. When the Fire Department arrived, the fire had already collapsed the floors of the two-story structure into the basement. The Yarmouth Fire Department called on mutual aid to combat the fire, with Freeport, Cumberland, Falmouth and North Yarmouth emergency response teams sending trucks and personnel.

The fire was under control at 1:08 p.m. and crews remained on the scene until 4:30 p.m. The cause of the fire is believed to be electrical and is not considered suspicious. The only injury reported was a firefighter who sprained a knee and was not transported or treated.

Both burned houses were total losses, with about half a million dollars lost in property value each, said Robitaille. Additionally, Rogers Road residents lost tremendous personal property in the fire. In the week following the fire, Yarmouth Community Services helped the Rogers Road residents begin their recovery, followed by assistance from the Red Cross.

Robitaille said that weather is often a factor in fires this time of year. In Maine, fires increase in frequency during the winter, as Mainers warm their homes with heating methods that are more likely to begin fires, such as wood stoves and space heaters.

For example, on Feb. 28, the Fire Department responded to a minor fire incident in Yarmouth where combustibles were put too close to a wood stove and caught fire.

Additionally, this February was 7 degrees colder than average in Maine. Colder temperatures prompt the use of more alternative heating sources as heating oil costs increase and put strain on existing heating systems, both of which could potentially start fires.

“When February was as cold as it was, I think that that probably plays into some fires, certainly for us this year,” said Robitaille.