PITTSFIELD, Maine — Five adults and one teenager escaped a house fire in Pittsfield Friday morning.
The call came in around 1:15 a.m. and four fire departments responded: Pittsfield, Newport, Detroit, and Hartland. There were heavy smoke conditions at the two-story home on North Main Street when firefighters arrived, but everybody was out safe.
A 34-year-old resident burned his hands and arms while trying to put out the fire before officials arrived, but officials say the burns are not life-threatening.
Pittsfield Fire Captain Don Chute said there were no smoke detectors installed in the house, meaning everyone inside was lucky to escape.
"This is a time of year, too, to practice some emergency plans," Chute said. "Make sure that everybody has an evacuation plan. I know we change over the clocks this time of year. I's a little early but it's still time to make sure you test those smoke detectors. If you do it once every couple of weeks it makes a big difference."
One of six cats that lived in the house died in the fire. All of the others got out safely, according to Chute.
Chute said the fire started upstairs and they were able to put it out fairly quickly. However, officials were on scene for multiple hours fighting hidden fires. Chute said there was lots of remodeling in the house, so firefighters had to dig through multiple ceilings and walls.
The house suffered significant damage. Chute said it appears the fire started in the attic around a chimney pipe. He said the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office will be coming in later on Friday to confirm.