FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — A fire destroyed a house Wednesday at 16 Cogswell St. in Fort Fairfield, displacing the elderly couple who had lived there, the Fort Fairfield Fire Department said.
Firefighters with Easton Fire and Presque Isle Fire worked hard with their Fort Fairfield counterparts to put out the flames. The couple who had lived at the home were staying with relatives, the department said.
Mitchell Butler — who lives next door — said his grandson alerted him to the fire when he saw smoke coming from the house. Butler saw the back part of the house completely ablaze and that it later spread to the front, he said. He immediately called 911 at around 3:45 p.m.
Flames engulf a home at Cogswell Street in Fort Fairfield on Wednesday, June 10.
(Courtesy of Fort Fairfield Fire Department)
An older couple lived in the house, and had left about 40 to 45 minutes before he called in the fire, Butler said. When the couple returned home, Butler said the man was distraught from seeing his house engulfed in flames. The Fort Fairfield Fire Department said he was evaluated and cleared by medical personnel.
The fire caused authorities to close down parts of nearby Presque Isle Street. Traffic was directed by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent.
