Electric wall clock seen as source of fire

PARKMAN – The fire that heavily damaged the Parkman home of Sara Buswell of Boston, Mass., was electrical in nature, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Investigator Scott Richardson said Tuesday that the fire started in a corner of the kitchen where a new clock had been plugged into a wall socket.

The homeowner said Tuesday she had been fishing with a friend at a nearby pond when the fire erupted. She returned at about the same time firefighters arrived at her North Dexter Road home.

Two dogs left caged near a door in the house were burned before they were rescued by Hartley Gilbert, 43, a neighbor who kicked in a door to reach them.

One of the dogs was recuperating Tuesday at a local animal hospital. The other dog, Triscuit, a golden Labrador retriever, was not found until late Tuesday afternoon.

A neighbor, Carol Tew, first spotted Triscuit on Tuesday, but it was several hours later before Buswell was able to catch the dog.

Buswell said she also took Triscuit to a local veterinarian for treatment although the dog’s burns were not severe.

Buswell had recently purchased the Parkman property and had been renovating it when the fire occurred.

Neighbors and the Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross are helping Buswell, who used the Parkman home on weekends and vacations.