PITTSFIELD — A structure fire in Pittsfield on Monday afternoon started in a chicken coop behind the residence and was extinguished before it reached the house, a fire official said.

The fire started behind a residence on Madawaska Avenue at 1:55 p.m. The Pittsfield Fire Department responded shortly after and was later aided by the Newport and Detroit fire departments.

Lt. Adam Noyes of the Newport department said Tuesday morning he did not know the cause of the fire. The Pittsfield fire chief could not immediately be reached.

The fire started in a chicken coop and then caught the garage before touching some of the home’s siding, although it did not burn the house, Noyes said.

About 25 firefighters responded and extinguished the fire in less than one hour, Noyes said.

The chicken coop and garage are gone, he said. Some of the siding on the house was melted off, but was not damaged otherwise.

Noyes said he didn’t believe anyone was home at the time, and no one was injured at the scene as far as he knew. One firefighter was assessed by the EMS team on the scene because of the heat, but wasn’t transferred to the hospital.

The hot weather is why multiple departments responded to the fire, he said.

“Wearing all that turnout gear is exhausting on us,” Noyes said. He said firefighters will switch out at the scene to rehydrate and cool down.

Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239

mstamour@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @madelinestamour

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