Fire rips through Glenburn house

GLENBURN – There was no chance to save the home on Lyndsay Lane that fire destroyed Monday morning, even though firefighters doused it with tanker after tanker of water, Glenburn Fire Chief Kevin Chase said at the scene.

“The fire was already through the roof, and [the house] was fully involved” when fire crews arrived, he said just before noon as the structure continued to smolder.

With no fire hydrants nearby, water tankers, engines and fire crews were called from Bangor, Levant, Hudson, Hermon, Glenburn and Kenduskeag to assist with fighting the blaze, which started at 9:30 a.m.

Without water, firefighters who arrived first began searching the structure for people and animals and removed vehicles, propane tanks and cooking grills from the garage and front porch out of the fire’s reach. Bangor firefighters were the first to arrive with a tanker truck filled with water.

“We kept calling for more water,” Chase said, adding later: “We have no water on this end of town. They actually went to Bangor to get water.”

A hydrant located outside of the Bangor Baptist Church on Broadway was tapped to fill water tankers, he said.

The thick, black smoke from the house fire could be seen from as far away as Brewer, a responding firefighter said.

The fire destroyed the two-level home owned by Paula and Patrick Daigle and occupied by the couple and their two daughters, ages 15 and 12. It apparently started near the house’s fireplace, Chase said.

Sgt. Tim York of the State Fire Marshal’s Office said that “careless disposal of items from the wood stove” apparently caused the fire.

Paula Daigle, dressed in medical scrubs, was dropped off at her burning home by a co-worker and was immediately hugged by her sister and then was surrounded by neighbors offering their support and sympathy. Protective friends said she was unwilling to comment.

By the time Daigle arrived, the home’s two roofs had collapsed, and it was apparent the building was a complete loss.

The homeowner stood in her neighbor’s yard and watched as firefighters emptied one tanker after another on the blaze. She was joined by friends and relatives, including one unidentified man who broke down crying after seeing the burning home.

In addition to the home, the fire also destroyed the back deck and above-ground swimming pool and several recreational vehicles, including an all-terrain vehicle and a snowmobile. Several other recreational vehicles and a Jeep were saved by the firefighters who moved them.

Amazingly, a child’s hand-drawn picture of a green forest remained hanging in the garage undamaged after most of the visible flames were extinguished.

The Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting the family with clothing, food and support, spokeswoman Hillary Roberts said Monday.

“This family fortunately has family to stay with,” she said by cell phone while on her way back to the fire for the third time. The goal is to provide a stable environment for the family and their two young children, who were in school at the time of the fire, she said.

The lack of water for fire suppression is one reason why the Glenburn subdivision ordinance was recently updated, Chase said.

“It’s been a concern of ours, not having water down here,” the fire chief said. “All new subdivisions will have on-site water.”

Fire ponds or the use of an underground water tank are two examples of how water will be supplied in future subdivisions, he said.

“This is the biggest [fire] we’ve seen in a while,” Chase said.