WILTON — The Office of the State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of a fire that destroyed a mobile home early Saturday at 9 Sewall St., in the heart of town.
The home, owned by Kandi Lilley, of Roxbury, was vacant when a police officer smelled smoke downtown, drove around and discovered the fire at 2:26 a.m., Fire Chief Sonny Dunham said Saturday.
He said Lilley and her family had moved out of the home a while ago, but he was not sure exactly when. Roxbury is about 30 miles northwest of Wilton.
Forty-nine firefighters from Wilton, Farmington, East Dixfield, Jay, Chesterville and Livermore Falls helped fight the fire, he said. Dunham was the first firefighter to arrive at the scene.
“It was totally involved,” he said. “We saved the garage. They have a lot of belongings and stuff in the garage. We were able to save that whole building.”
Dunham said the home appeared to have had additions built onto it and might have been a double-wide manufactured home. Only a small laundry room was left standing after the fire, he said. He said officials don’t know how or where the fire started, but state fire investigator Ken McMaster was at the scene Saturday, trying to determine the cause. A call placed to McMaster’s cellphone was not returned immediately.
At the time of the fire, most of Lilley’s belongings had been removed from the house, which was 20 to 25 feet from the garage, Dunham said.
“They were still in the process of cleaning out the home,” he said.
He said the family has no insurance on the home.
Firefighters fought the blaze from outside the structure because it was engulfed in flames and no one was inside, Dunham said.
“We had plenty of water supply,” he said. “We were in the hydrant district, so we had plenty of water.”
Sewall Street is a dead-end street off School Street, which connects High and Main streets. Dunham said no other homes are near the fire scene.
Wilton police and NorthStar Ambulance workers were on hand during the fire, according to Dunham. Firefighters remained at the scene until about 6:30 a.m., he said.
“Everybody did a good job and we made a good stop on saving the garage,” he said.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
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