Firefighters from five area towns were sent to a blaze that ultimately destroyed a log cabin camp Sunday afternoon on Hancock Pond in the Somerset County town of Embden.
Anson Fire Chief Stacy Beane said trucks and crews from Anson, Madison, Starks, New Portland and Norridgewock got the call on Boxberry Drive just after 4 p.m. Sunday.
Beane said the structure was a 40-by-25-foot log cabin that had been in a Massachusetts family for decades. No one was injured, but precious old photos that had been on the wall were destroyed.
She said the fire was started by a wood stove being used as the weather turned colder over the weekend.
“They were all packed up and headed back to Mass., and they went to go to the transfer station and wanted to get pizza after in Kingfield,” said Beane, who took over as fire chief in January. “The pizza shop was closed so they went to Pinkham’s Market in North Anson and went back to the camp and walked through the front door and flames were starting to go up the wall into the ceiling.”
Beane said a family member had to go back out to drive around until he was able to obtain cell phone service so he could report the fire. She said when New Portland firefighters arrived at the scene the whole cabin was already engulfed in flames.
Beane said some small propane tanks and one big tank caught fire and exploded.
“They blew off. We just had to be careful with how much water we put on afterward because Hancock Pond is the drinking source for the town,” Beane said. “It had a metalbestos chimney and they’re not sure quite what happened. It burned right to the ground, but they do have insurance on it.”
Beane said firefighters also had to be careful to protect other camps in the area.
“Nobody was injured,” she said. “The only thing that was really in danger was the other camps nearby — right next to it. They just lost a lot of pictures that were of the other family members from over the years that they had gathered and put up on the wall.”
Beane said she wanted to thank members of the other area fire departments that came out and helped battle the blaze.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter:@Doug_Harlow
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