Man hurt as fire destroys Orland house

ORLAND – A local man was injured early Monday morning as he escaped from his burning home on the Hatchery Road.

Michael Darragh, no age available, woke at about 3 a.m. to find his home in flames, according to Orland Fire Chief John Gray. He was able to make his way out of the burning building and then tried to re-enter the home to rescue his dog.

He was unable to get back inside and then went to a neighbor’s home to call for help.

Darragh suffered smoke inhalation and burns, although Gray said it is unclear whether he was injured during his first flight from the house or when he tried to get back in. He was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. There was no information available about his condition.

The call came into the station at 3:17 a.m. and the first firefighters were on the scene within 10 minutes, according to Capt. Jeff Newbegin of the Orland Fire Department. The house was engulfed in flames when they got there.

“Flames had already burned through the roof and the front wall was burned out,” Newbegin said. “Within 10 minutes, the roof had caved in. There wasn’t a whole lot we could do.”

Firefighters heard the dog barking while they were fighting the fire, Gray said.

“They could hear him barking, and then he went quiet,” he said.

They later found the dog in a back room under some debris.

“It looked like he’d crawled in back to get away from the fire,” Gray said. “He was under some debris, but he was alive.”

The dog was treated at an emergency veterinary hospital in Brewer and returned to the local vet in Bucksport. He is expected to survive.

The house was destroyed in the fire, which officials suspect may have been caused by a homemade wood stove installed in the house.

By midmorning an inspector from the State Fire Marshal’s Office had inspected the scene.