Fire flattens Hodgdon home

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
EARLY MORNING FIRE — The Calais Road home of Orville Boutilier was destroyed by fire in the early morning hours Tuesday. Boutilier is the owner of Boutilier’s Greenhouse, which was attached to his residence. Much of that building was spared, but was not open Tuesday.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HODGDON — A Hodgdon man escaped with just the clothes he was wearing after an early morning fire Tuesday destroyed his Calais Road home.
    Firefighters were called to the residence of Orville Boutilier at about 1 a.m. Tuesday when fire was spotted coming from the front of his home. The residence is attached to his business, Boutilier’s Greenhouse.
    Hodgdon Fire Chief Royce Quint said Tuesday morning that Boutilier’s house was a total loss, but most of the attached greenhouse was spared.
    “When I arrived on scene, there was a little bit of fire coming out of the front of the building,” Quint said. “But when I went around the back of the property, I saw fire coming out of the back roof. It was pretty well engulfed inside.”
    Although the fire was extinguished, firefighters were still on the scene at 8 a.m. monitoring the property.
    Boutilier’s dog escaped the blaze, but it was believed that two cats did not survive.
    Linneus responded with its engine and two tankers. Houlton also responded with a crew and pumper/tanker, the chief said. About 45 firefighters from the three different towns helped fight the blaze. Water was drawn from hydrants on Court Street as well as the Hodgdon dam, the chief added.
    “He [Boutilier] pretty much lost everything,” Quint said. “He was not able to bring anything out with him.”
    Quint said his crew attacked the blaze through the greenhouse, to keep it from spreading. As cinders fell from the sky, however, a nearby field caught fire, prompting the crew to use its forestry truck to extinguish the grass.
    “There may have been one section that received some damage, but much of the greenhouse was saved,” Quint said.
    Quint said the building was insured and an insurance agent was on site Tuesday morning to assess the damage. Quint added he was unable to determine a cause for the fire, but did not feel it was suspicious.
    At presstime, it was undetermined how long the business would be closed. Boutilier could not be reached for comment.