AUGUSTA — Investigators have determined a fire that gutted a Washington Street home Sunday started as an accidental cooking fire that spread from the kitchen.
An investigator for the Office of State Fire Marshal investigated the cause of the fire at 65 Washington St., which displaced three residents, and determined it was an accidental kitchen fire, according to Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the state Department of Public Safety.
Three occupants of the home, and their pet snake, made it out of the home safely, but their pet cat died in the fire, Augusta Fire Chief Dave Groder said. The residents told firefighters the fire had erupted in the stove of the two-story home and quickly spread through the kitchen.
The single-family home, according to city records, is owned by Loandepot.com LLC, based in South Carolina, and is valued for tax purposes at $104,000.
Susan Robertson, Augusta’s city manager, said in a memo to city councilors the damage to the structure is substantial, to the point of being unrepairable, and the city’s code enforcement office would require the building to be demolished.
No one was injured while the fire was extinguished, which took about three hours Sunday afternoon.
Groder said the firefighters arrived on the scene to smoke and fire showing and requested a second alarm for mutual aid from other area departments.
The Red Cross was notified to help the building’s tenants find temporary housing.
Fire departments from Chelsea, Gardiner, Togus, Vassalboro and Winthrop responded, while Hallowell’s department provided coverage for the city and Winslow Fire Department lent its ladder truck.
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