CLINTON — A fire destroyed the inside of a home on Battle Ridge Road on Sunday after a family spent a year renovating it.
Artie Raymond II, who had been staying in a camper on the property owned by his parents, Arthur and Amanda Raymond, said he was devastated. The house had been redone “end to end, top to bottom, and it’s destroyed.”
Additional Photos
Elizabeth and Richard Hadley live next door and were working outside around 2:45 p.m. when Elizabeth saw white smoke coming from her neighbor’s house, she said. They called 911 and ran through the woods to get to the property at 737 Battle Ridge Road.
Artie Raymond was inside the camper and noticed that his power went out, he said, but he didn’t realize the house behind him was on fire until he heard his neighbors approaching and went outside.
About 15 firefighters from Clinton, Canaan and Fairfield extinguished the blaze, which Clinton Fire Chief Gary Petley said appears to have originated with an electric stove.
It appears a burner was left on, he said, which somehow ignited the wall and spread to the ceiling and roof.
Raymond’s brother, Mark, of Waterville, had done much of the renovating. “I just about finished the inside of this whole place,” he said, estimating that his parents had invested $40,000.
He had put on a new roof and built a deck. He had painted inside, laid new flooring and installed siding. Purchased a year ago, he said his parents have not yet lived in the house and are currently in Florida.
After talking to them on the phone, Artie Raymond said his parents are very upset. “They were excited about coming back next summer.”
The inside of the house appears to be ruined by fire, smoke and water, though the building was insured.
The ceiling was burned and falling down; the walls were black; and the kitchen counters were demolished, Artie Raymond said. The windows were broken, and new beds, tables and chairs were ruined.
Under different ownership, the house was the scene of a shooting in the spring of 2010, according to news archives. A man reportedly walked into the then-resident’s bedroom and shot him in the left side, causing a flesh wound. The victim then shot back through the glass of the front door. Police did not believe the intruder was shot.
Erin Rhoda — 612-2368
erhoda@centralmaine.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.