BRUNSWICK

Two people were hospitalized — including a firefighter — when a fire destroyed a house at 5 Maquiot Road in Brunswick late Friday morning.

Brunswick Fire Chief Ken Brillant said an occupant in the home was transported to Mid Coast Hospital, but wasn’t aware of the woman’s condition Friday afternoon.

While attempting to extinguish the blaze, one Brunswick firefighter fell through an opening in the floor, according to  Brillant. He caught himself before falling all the way through, but injured his chest and stomach area. He was being evaluated at Mid Coast Hospital.

“It’s a really old house with a lot of balloon frame construction and it’s real cut up,” Brillant said, speaking from the scene and, like most firefighters after two hours of fighting the flames, was covered in ice.

“There doesn’t look to be much insulation in the house and the fire is everywhere,” Brillant continued. “It’s very difficult to get to.”

Temperatures were hovering around 3 degrees, adding to the difficulty in fighting the fire that was first reported at 11:09 a.m. Icy conditions made it difficult for firefighters to do their jobs or even walk.

A school bus was brought to provide a warming shelter for crews.

Maquoit and Mere Point roads were closed in the area of the fire. At least one neighbor reported his power was out.

With the fire burning for a few hours, conditions are dangerous including the threat of collapse. “We don’t want to get anyone hurt but we’ve got to get the fire out,” Brillant said.

However, the blaze was under control by 1:15 p.m. Crews cleared the scene by 4:06 p.m.

The house is owned by Morley and Barbara Thomas, according to the Brunswick assessing database. A GoFundMe campaign has been created for them.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Topsham, Bath, West Bath, Freeport and Durham crews also responded.

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