FREEPORT

Thanks to a working smoke detector, residents escaped their Unity Lane apartment building after it caught fire late Saturday morning.

The fire displaced six people who lived in apartments in a single building, at 21 and 23 Unity Lane. Chief Darrel Fournier of the Freeport Fire and Rescue Department said the structure fire was reported at 11:35 a.m. at the two-family residential unit.

Fournier said the fire started in the apartment at 23 Unity Lane where Gregory Ballou lives with his wife, son and daughter. The family lost a dog, cat and Guinea pig. Next door to that apartment, at 21 Unity Lane, Sharon Holden lives with her son. They had some cats that were found outside after the fire, Fournier said.

The first firefighters arrived on scene at 11:37 a.m. to find heavy fire on a first floor kitchen area of the Ballous’ apartment, went into fire attack mode and did a primary search.

Fournier said the fire extended to the outside of the building to the second story apartment and roof area. Firefighters were able to stop the fire by ventilating the roof area. It took them about 35 minutes to knock the fire down. They had “extensive mutual aid because we’re all so short handed on personnel,” Fournier said. “I only had three people here for about 10 minutes so we did what we could.”

A second-alarm was struck to bring in additional resources. Brunswick, Pownal, Durham and Yarmouth fire departments joined Freeport at the scene, and Topsham and Lisbon Falls fire departments provided station coverage.

There are four families who live in the building, Fournier said. A woman in the apartment next door to the apartment where the fire started heard a smoke detector sounding, came out, saw smoke and dialed 911.

“The smoke detector worked, notified the people in the building and that shows the importance of having working smoke detectors and CO detectors on property,” Fournier said.

There were no injuries to firefighters or the public.

“Fires are burning hotter and quicker than at anytime in history,” Fournier said. “The fire spread is very intense and you saw that here today. That’s why you saw the windows blow out on the front side of the building.

“The fire went from the first floor to the second floor to the attic very quickly,” he added. “That’s a challenge.”

Crews were called back to the scene Saturday night at around 7 p.m. for a fire in the roof. Fournier said blown insulation in the attic area had reignited. Blown insulation makes it difficult to get to the base of the fire, Fournier said.

The fire caused extensive damage, as Fournier estimated the cost at upwards of $350,000 to $400,000. There was a representative on scene working with families from Paul Davis Restoration, looking to put the residents up for an “extensive period of time.”

“We’ve had several groups come out and want to donate,” Fournier said Monday, in the aftermath of the fire.

Freeport Community Service wrote on its Facebook page Sunday night that “two families have been affected, with little to nothing able to be salvaged from the home. They have received warm clothing, emergency funds, grocery cards, and were offered temporary housing.” FCS will post information on the page if accounts are set up to accept donations, and a list of needs.

There was no one home in the apartment where the fire started and Fournier said while at the scene. The fire marshal’s office was expected to be on scene Monday morning to try to find the cause of the fire, Fournier said.