GARDINER — A historic Gardiner home was destroyed by fire Saturday morning and one of its occupants was treated for burns as firefighters from six communities battled the blaze in single-digit temperatures.
The fire at the Laura E. Richards House was reported at about 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve, drawing firefighters from Gardiner, Augusta, West Gardiner, Togus, Farmingdale, Pittston and Randolph.
The home at 3 Dennis St., also known as The Yellow House, was the former residence of author Laura E. Richards. She was first person to win a Pulitzer Prize for biography, in 1917. The winning book chronicled the life of her mother, poet Julia Ward Howe, who wrote “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
The Federalist-style home was built in 1814 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Richards, a Boston native, moved to the home in Gardiner in 1876 with her architect husband, Henry Richards, and they painted it yellow, which it had remained since. She wrote more than 90 books during her career.
Richards lived most of her adult life in Gardiner, where she also was a founder of several community institutions. An elementary school in the city is named for her.
Chief Rick Sieberg of the Gardiner Fire Department said two occupants were home at the time of the fire and both made it out. One of them, Sam Shaw, suffered burns to his hands trying to put the fire out. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital, Sieberg said.
Sieberg said the homeowner said the fire appeared to have started near where a generator was running, just hours after a powerful storm knocked out power to tens of thousands of Central Maine Power Co. customers.
An investigator with the Office of State Fire Marshal was at the scene Saturday morning, Sieberg said, and determined the generator had caused the blaze.
Sieberg said the couple were at the home sleeping when they were alerted to the fire by their dog. They awoke to discover the back part of the house was ablaze.
The couple’s dog died in the fire, according to Sieberg.
Sieberg said while the house was badly damaged by flames, its massive chimneys remained standing. Officials decided to have it torn down rather than risk having the structure or chimneys collapse. Contractor McGee Construction of West Gardiner leveled the structure Saturday afternoon.
Sieberg said the home’s balloon frame construction helped the flames spread quickly throughout the structure.
“It quickly became unsafe for firefighters to get inside,” Sieberg said at the scene Saturday morning, “so they’re fighting it from outside.”
Sieberg said the fire was still going just after 11 a.m. Saturday. By 3 p.m., the flames had been extinguished, but some firefighters remained at the scene to spray water on the building as it was demolished.
The six-bedroom home is owned by Kim Shaw, who was living at an in-law apartment there, but who was not home at the time of the fire.
City tax assessment records indicate the home was appraised at $331,500 as a single-family home with an in-law dwelling unit.
As firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze, smoke filled the air in the surrounding area, including downtown Gardiner, where shoppers visited stores and eateries.
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