HALLOWELL — No one was injured during a fire that damaged a home at 11 Densmore Court Saturday.
Hallowell Fire Chief Jim Owens said the second floor of the home was gutted, and the first floor sustained some water damage.
“They’ll be able to rebuild it,” he said. “The first floor had water damage, but it was fine.”
Densmore Court juts south off Wilder Street, a short street accessible south of Bolley’s Famous Franks on Water Street, just outside the downtown district. Both Densmore Court and Wilder Street are narrow, dead-end roads, which hampered access for the six area crews that responded.
“We couldn’t get a ladder truck in there, (and) we could have used it,” he said. “There are no hydrants in there, so we had to (get water) from a hydrant … 700 feet away … on Water Street.”
Owens said the home was built in the early 20th century, which is problematic for firefighters due to spaces between floors that can capture fire and make it difficult to put out.
“(The older homes) hold up better than the new ones, but the spaces in there cause challenges,” he said.
Firefighters drag hoses as they clear up at 6:10 p.m. after putting out a fire at 11 Densmore Court on Saturday in Hallowell. The fire was in a two-story residence at the end of Densmore Court, a short, dead-end street off Wilder Street, near Bolley’s Famous Franks. The call came in at 4:24 p.m., and Augusta, Gardiner, Farmingdale and Randolph were some of the departments that responded as mutual aid. Water Street was closed between Winthrop and North streets. Kennebec Journal photo by Joe Phelan
Owens said crews contained the fire contained to the second floor within 15 minutes but spent about two more hours cleaning up. He said turnout from Hallowell Fire Department was “amazing,” citing that 17 of 19 members responded. He added that Randolph Fire Department had all but one member of their department attend the call.
Along with Hallowell and Randolph crews, crews from Augusta, Farmingdale, Gardiner and Pittston responded.
No one was injured in the fire, though three people were inside the home when the blaze started. Owens said a cat was unaccounted for, but it could have been in the basement of the home.
Owens said the fire appeared to be accidental, but the State Fire Marshal’s Office is still investigating the exact cause.
The property belongs to Sandra and Roland Newton, according to city tax commitment documents.
Staff photographer Joe Phelan contributed to this report.
Sam Shepherd — 621-5666
sshepherd@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @SamShepME
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