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Roof collapses as fire fighters battle structure fire

2 mins read


PHILLIPS –  No one was injured when a roof collapsed as firefighters from four area departments battled a blaze that destroyed a seasonal home on Salem Road.

Phillips Fire Chief  Jimmy Gould said when he arrived about 2:30 p.m. today, the seasonal home was fully engulfed in flames. A passerby reported seeing smoke coming from under the roof’s eaves.  As firefighters from Phillips, Kingfield, Strong and Salem began extinguishing flames with water, the entire roof suddenly collapsed.

“There was four feet of snow on the roof and it just caved in,” Gould said. Also making things difficult was the six-foot wall of snow banked along Salem Road. No one had plowed out the drive, which made it more difficult for fire crews to get the hoses over the obstacle in order to reach the home. 

At the time, Gould did not know the homeowner’s name.

The small white with green trim single-story home is two doors up from 465 Salem Road and about a third of the way from Phillips to Salem. Firefighters were able to save the home’s detached garage. A Central Maine Power company crew cut the power, which was presumably still on at the home.

Although the cause of the blaze wasn’t determined as of yet, Gould believed it to be accidental.

Fire Department tanker trucks filled up about two miles away from the fire at the Phillips Fire Station where the Sandy River is easily reached.

“We’re going to be here for quite a while checking for hot spots,” Gould said. After the roof collapsed, crews worked to pull down the remaining front wall and would continue to sift and pull apart the remains checking for hot spots where possible flare-ups could occur.
 

 

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