Cause of Orrington fire unknown Renovations to century-old home contribute to fast-spreading flames

ORRINGTON – The State Fire Marshal’s Office is still investigating a fire Tuesday evening that destroyed a historic sea captain’s home built more than a century ago along the banks of the Penobscot River.

The Settlers Way home was “old, probably 1890s,” and was owned by John and Ruth York, Orrington Fire Chief Mike Spencer said Wednesday.

The cause of the fire, which started around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the home occupied by the Yorks and their two children, is still under investigation.

Spencer and state fire investigator John Morse went to the scene Wednesday morning.

“There was an addition that seems to have the heaviest fire activity,” Spencer said. “That would lead us to believe it [the source of the fire] was in that area.”

The renovated addition was in the front of the house. Numerous renovations to the century-old building, in what Spencer called balloon construction, hindered firefighters.

“The renovations made it difficult to fight this fire,” he said. “There was one room with three different ceiling spaces.”

No fire barrier separated the areas of the home, allowing the fire to spread more quickly. The renovations also created air pockets and areas that were difficult to reach, the fire chief said.

“When we arrived it was showing fire on three sides,” Spencer said. The fire was contained by around 9 p.m., but Orrington Fire Department crews remained at the scene until 3:30 a.m. extinguishing flare-ups. A firetruck was left at the scene “for fire watch, to see if anything sparked back up,” he said.

No injuries were reported, but the family lost several pets, including a dog, four cats, a rabbit and fish.

One issue for the south Orrington fire was the water supply, Spencer said. With no working hydrants in the area, firefighters “had to travel all the way back to the PERC [Penobscot Energy Recovery Co.] plant to get water,” he said.

Mutual aid partners from Brewer, Bucksport, Dedham-Lucerne, Eddington, Holden and Orland were dispatched to the scene and “they all supplied water, which was crucial because we had to truck it so far,” said Spencer, who estimated there were 50 to 60 firefighters at the scene. “The mutual aid was a huge asset.”

Lynn Hines, a neighbor, saw the smoke while driving home and called emergency 911. Not knowing the family was at the school, she kicked in the back door and called out to see if anyone was home.

The home was gutted by the fire, but the family does have insurance, Spencer said.