Two men were left homeless Thursday night after a fire tore through their Oakland home.

No one was injured and the home was destroyed after firefighters doused the blaze at 36 Oak St. during the early morning hours Friday, according to Chief David Coughlin of the Oakland Fire Department.

The fire was reported at 11:05 p.m. Thursday, and two men who lived in the older cape-style home were able to get out on their own without being injured, Coughlin said. Coughlin did not identify the two men.

Douglas Johnson owns the home, which is insured, Coughlin said.

There was “quite a bit of fire” on the home’s first floor when crews arrived at the scene, Coughlin said, as some 30 firefighters arrived with mutual aid help coming from neighboring departments in Belgrade, Sidney, Smithfield, Rome and Waterville.

“It was an older cape-style home and these older homes have void spaces,” Coughlin said. “We were chasing fires through all the void spaces.”

Crews remained at the scene for more than four hours. Delta ambulance arrived as a precaution.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal was called to determined the cause and an official was working at the scene Friday morning, Coughlin said.

The American Red Cross of Maine said in a news release it had sent a disaster action team to work with the homeowner, offering food and temporary living accommodations.


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