Neighbors act quickly to save burning home

SEBOEIS – A home that caught fire on the Main Road was saved Friday morning by fast-acting neighbors.

No one living at the residence was home at the time the fire started, but neighbors called the Fire Department around 10:30 a.m. when they saw signs of smoke, said Lt. Rick Leighton of the Howland Fire Department.

Fire units from Lincoln and Howland responded nearly 10 to 15 minutes later.

“The neighbors more or less did the work and knocked it down and kept it from spreading,” Leighton said Friday. “They had a bucket brigade from across the road.”

Because of the neighbors’ efforts, the fire was contained to a room on the first floor and there was only smoke damage on the first floor of the two-story home, Leighton said.

Leighton said the Fire Departments had the fire under control in a few minutes.

Leighton did not know the monetary amount of damage to the home or the cause of the fire.

He said it was under investigation, and the owners, whom he was unable to identify, had yet to be contacted.