CLINTON — A family was displaced and a house almost entirely destroyed during a fire Wednesday morning at 45 Tardiff Road.
No one was injured in the fire, which officials believe started accidentally. The Office of State Fire Marshal is still investigating, Clinton Fire Chief Travis Leary said Wednesday.
“The initial crews made a quick knock down to the fire, but unfortunately, it had already consumed basically the center portion of the home,” Leary said. “It’s considered a total loss.”
Homeowner Samantha Baker was the only one home at the time of the fire. Baker, who lives at the home with her son, was able to save her dog and three of her four cats from the fire, she said, and has received lots of support from friends and community members throughout the state.
“It’s total devastation, but you know, we made it out OK, and that’s a blessing,” Baker said. “Everyone’s reaching out, and I appreciate all the concern and all of the love from the community.
“We’re just gonna take it one day at a time now. I think we’re going to be OK,” she added.
The fire was initially reported at around 8 a.m., Leary said, and crews from Clinton, Fairfield, Winslow, Skowhegan, Oakland, Albion and Burnham helped fight the blaze. The fire was under control “within 10 to 15 minutes of first arriving on scene,” Leary said, and crews cleared the scene by about 11 a.m.
An eyewitness and neighbor who gave his name only as Steve said that he and other neighbors rushed to the scene to help, bringing Baker pet food, blankets and other emergency materials as firefighters battled the flames.
“I brought some cat food over because there were two cats hiding under the house,” he said. “There was one female firefighter on the scene who stayed a really long time to try and get those cats out of there. It was just nice to see her putting in an extra effort.”
“I was just impressed by all of their hard work and how much they cared,” he added.
In 2020, Baker’s two daughters, Emily and Ashlin, were killed in a car crash outside Clinton. The driver, Timothy Silva, who was unlicensed and 16 at the time, pleaded guilty to a juvenile charge of class A manslaughter and adult charges of driving to endanger, criminal speeding and operating a motor vehicle without a license.
Silva was given the maximum sentence for his role in the crash, and ordered to be detained at the Long Creek Youth Detention Center until age 21.
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