AUGUSTA — “Another ten minutes and it would’ve been a different game.”
That’s what Augusta Fire Department Battalion Chief John Bennett said of a fire at 32 Ganneston Drive that displaced a family early Monday morning. Firefighters were called out at about 11:55 p.m. Sunday and were on the scene until a little after 2 a.m. Monday.
Bennett said the fire was likely caused by a wiring issue, which then crept into a wood stove exhaust pipe that filled the home with smoke. The family was alerted by smoke detectors and exited the home safely. No one was injured.
Bennett said if the homeowners and responding firefighters had not acted quickly, the fire could have crept into the attic and caused more damage.
“It was just a tough area to access because everything was enclosed,” he said. “We contained the fire to a relatively small area.”
Crews from Hallowell and Chelsea provided station coverage after Augusta firefighters called “all hands” to the fire. The fire was contained quickly, but crews stayed on the scene for about two hours.
Bennett said, if clean-up work was done in a timely fashion, the family could be back in the home by Monday night. Compared to other fires, he said, the monetary value of the damage was a “low dollar amount.”
Peter and Staci Fortunato own the property at 32 Ganneston Drive, according to tax commitment documents.
Sam Shepherd — 621-5666
sshepherd@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @SamShepME
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