Blaze destroys Northport family’s home

NORTHPORT – A fast-moving fire destroyed the Maple Street home of Drexel White in the Bayside section of town Friday afternoon, and fire crews were expected to work into the evening to ensure that wind-whipped flames would not spread to nearby dwellings.

Scores of residents reported the fire about 3 p.m., and firefighters from Northport, Belfast, Belmont, Searsport, Lincolnville and Searsmont converged within minutes of the alarm.

The building was already engulfed in flames by the time the firetrucks arrived, according to a witness. An on-shore breeze helped feed the flames, which at one point leapt into the oak trees towering over the home’s roof.

Douglas Pennington of Appleton, a member of a roofing crew working on the building across the street from the White home, said he stopped by to pick up some equipment and noticed flames flickering in the downstairs windows.

Pennington said he did not believe anyone was home at the time because when he ran to the door to warn the occupants, he found that it was locked.

“The door was locked, and the downstairs was already filled with flames,” Pennington said as he watched flames burn through the roof. “The windows were cracking, and the house was filled with smoke. The whole place was up in flames by the time they [firefighters] got here.”

A staffer at the Waldo County Communications Center said it appeared that the occupants of the home were away when the fire was reported. He said the Red Cross had been called in to provide assistance to White and his family as well as the rescue personnel working to quell the fire.

Bayside installed fire hydrants a few years ago, so the steady supply of water helped firefighters keep the blaze from jumping to nearby homes. Bayside is a coastal enclave of densely packed cottages and homes. Some of the surrounding homes were shuttered for the winter. Others had year-round occupants. A large crowd of onlookers filled nearby yards and side streets to watch the fire.