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Four people escaped a house fire in North Harpswell early Thursday, Oct. 29, although two men suffered burns and had to jump from the second story. The fire destroyed the 2.5-story building and two outbuildings.
Harpswell Neck Fire Chief Dave Mercier said the fire at 23 Smokehouse Road, off Route 123, was reported at about 4:30 a.m.
“We saw the flames above the treetops before we arrived,” he said.
A husband and wife were downstairs when the fire started and escaped without injury, according to Mercier. Two young men on the second floor got trapped in a burning stairwell and had to jump.
Both men suffered burns and one was hurt in the fall, Mercier said. They were taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
In addition to the two outbuildings, flames spread to the woods before being contained.
The narrow dirt road posed challenges for access by fire trucks, but a strong turnout allowed firefighters to knock down the blaze as quickly as possible, Mercier said.
Still, “there is nothing remaining” of the house, he said. Cundy’s Harbor contractor R.A. Webber & Sons Inc. brought in an excavator so firefighters could fully extinguish the rubble.
The occupants told firefighters they first saw flames on the back porch and exterior of the building, Mercier said.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office responded and conducted a brief investigation, but because of the building’s complete destruction, “it’s unlikely you’re going to find a cause,” Mercier said.
The Red Cross is assisting the family, he said.
Mitchell and Alice Kane own the property, according to town records. Thursday’s fire marks the second structure fire at the address in less than six months, after a fire in June that destroyed a shed.
A spokesperson for the State Fire Marshal’s Office said in June that an “unhoused individual” who had been living in the shed suffered burns and smoke inhalation in what was likely an electrical fire.
On Thursday, firefighters faced an unexpected challenge in the form of southern Maine’s persistent drought.
“We had a pond go dry,” Mercier said.
Harpswell, with no public water system or fire hydrants, relies on a network of ponds and dry hydrants to supply water for firefighting.
Tankers were initially filling up at a pond on Mountain Road, but it was too low, according to Mercier. They switched to another source on Neil’s Point Road, which was also low but had enough to finish the job.
In addition to Harpswell Neck Fire and Rescue, the Cundy’s Harbor Volunteer Fire Department and the Orr’s and Bailey Islands Fire Department responded from Harpswell. The Brunswick and West Bath fire departments also provided aid.
