PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – For the second week in a row, firefighters found themselves battling a residential fire – this time on the Caribou Road.
The Presque Isle Fire Department responded to a call at approximately 5:45 p.m. Dec. 31 reporting a fire at the home, whose last known owner was identified as Esther Trudel, located at 420 Caribou Road across from the Citadel radio station’s towers.
“We arrived on scene at approximately 5:50 p.m. and remained at the site until 11:45 p.m., when we cleared the scene,” said Deputy Chief Adam Rider, of the PIFD.
Firefighters returned to the house about an hour later.
“We returned to the home when the fire rekindled at around 1 a.m. and remained there for a couple hours,” said Rider.
Efforts to control the fire were hindered when part of the roof collapsed.
“We had a partial roof collapse that made an interior attack (on the fire) more difficult. We had to pull people out at that time. Once the situation was assessed and it was deemed safe to enter the home again, we were able to get back inside and continue our efforts to put the fire out,” said Rider.
Approximately 35 Presque Isle firefighters were at the scene, with additional aid provided by the Caribou and Fort Fairfield fire departments. No injuries were reported as the result of the fire. No one was at home at the time of the blaze, although Rider indicated a woman living at the residence returned home later in the evening.
The old farmhouse, once the homestead of Carl Kilpatrick’s family, was heavily damaged by a combination of fire, smoke and water.
“The house was heavily damaged. There was a lot of water and smoke damage, in addition to what the fire caused,” said Rider.
Although the fire remains under investigation, officials believe the probable cause to be the wood stove, located in the kitchen area.
“The fire appears to have broken out in the area around the wood stove,” said Rider.
On a statewide level, warmer temperatures so far this winter have helped keep the number of fires low, compared to other years.
“We haven’t had as many chimney fires or other fires. I believe its due to warmer temperatures. People aren’t trying so hard to keep warm,” said Rider. “Luckily we’ve had a mild winter so far.”
Temperatures dipped into the single digits as firefighters battled the Caribou Road fire New Year’s Eve. By this weekend, however, temperatures are expected to reach near 40 degrees during the daytime, making the need to keep warm less of an issue – good news for firefighters who’ve spent the last two weekends suited up as they tried to save three local homes.
