A fire at a house on Main Street in Wilton Saturday afternoon left two families homeless, according to Wilton fire Chief Sonny Dunham.

The fire was reported around 2 p.m. in a 2 1/2-story, older home with an attached barn and appears to have started in a bathroom and extended into the kitchen, Dunham said.

“There’s a lot of work that’s got to be done before they’ll be able to live there,” he said.

Dunham said Sunday he does not know the name of the woman and her two young children who live in the home, which is owned by the woman’s father, who lives in Arizona.

“She crawled out with them to safety,” he said.

The woman’s brother and his wife — who just had a baby Saturday at a hospital — and their two other children also live in the house, Dunham said.

He said the fire was in full swing when he arrived.

Between 40 and 45 firefighters from Wilton, Farmington, Jay and East Dixfield responded to the fire, clearing the scene three to four hours later, he said. Firefighters were not able to determine the exact cause of the fire, according to Dunham.

“The state Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating — they will come up tomorrow morning,” he said.

Central Maine Power Co. arrived at the scene and turned the power off to the house, and Dunham called the Red Cross to help the families, he said. Wilton police helped at the scene and directed traffic, he said.

The house is insured, according to Dunham.

Initially, the fire was reported at 1359 Main St., but Dunham said he believes the address is actually 1367, though he was not 100 percent certain. He said there were no injuries reported.

Amy Calder — 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @AmyCalder17

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