AUGUSTA — Nobody was hurt, but a dog died in a Friday morning fire that destroyed a mobile home on North Belfast Avenue.

Augusta Fire Chief Roger Audette said the tenants, Susan Mishou and her two teenage children, were not home when the fire broke out inside the home at 2968 North Belfast Ave., which is Route 3. Nobody was injured fighting the fire, which was rolling in the front of the building when firefighters arrived.

“There was so much fire we just basically had to stay outside,” Audette said.

The dog was found dead inside the home. Mishou said the family’s cat is unaccounted for.

Police, who were first to arrive at the fire, reported rounds of ammunition stored in the building were exploding because of heat from the fire.

“We were a little nervous about that,” Audette said.

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Investigators from the Office of the State Fire Marshal were called to try and determine what caused the fire, a process that Sgt. Ken Grimes said could take some time.

“There’s extensive damage, so I’m not sure what they’re going to have to work with,” Audette said.

The fire was reported about 10 a.m. Firefighters from Augusta, Chelsea, Togus and Vassalboro went to the scene while crews from Winthrop, Gardiner and Hallowell stood ready to cover other emergency calls in the city. Audette said the home’s location, about five miles from the fire department, coupled with snow that blanketed the road, made for a challenging response. The home is outside the city’s water district, which means there are no nearby fire hydrants. Chelsea and Vassalboro provided tankers with water.

Route 3 was closed between Bolton Hill and Weeks Mills roads while crews battled the blaze. One lane was reopened shortly after noon. Firefighters cleared the scene and both lanes re-opened around 12:30 p.m.

Mishou and her two children stood shivering in the cold as crews fought the fire. She said she had rented the home for about five years. Mishou, who has renters insurance, said she has no relatives in the area. Firefighters called the Red Cross to help provide essentials and temporary shelter for the family.

Mishou was thankful her children, who were out of school because of the snow, were safe.

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“That’s my life,” she said.

Jean Brochu, who owns the mobile home, knew the children did not have school and was concerned about their safety.

“I was worried they were in there,” he said.

Mishou said nothing had happened in recent days to signal a problem that might have sparked a fire. The home was heated by forced hot air from a furnace and there were no auxiliary heating sources.

“We’ve never had a problem with that,” Mishou said of the furnace.

Mishou said all the appliances were off when she left the house about 8:30 a.m.

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“There was nothing going,” she said.

Brochu said he doesn’t know whether the home is insured.

“At least nobody was injured,” he said.

Craig Crosby — 621-5642

ccrosby@centralmaine.com

Twitter: CraigCrosby4


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