UPDATED: Woman escapes fire that claims Wiscasset mobile home

Sun, 11/05/2017 - 10:15am

A smoke detector woke a woman at 497 Lowelltown Road, Wiscasset, Sunday morning and she escaped the fire that claimed the home she was renting, she and a fire official said.

The fire was electrical and destroyed the single-wide mobile home, Wiscasset Deputy Fire Chief John Merry said. “She lost everything.”

In a phone interview Sunday afternoon, Wendy Yeaton said the fire alarm went off and she heard a pop. “I only had time to grab a pair of pants and a shirt.” Yeaton said she was very grateful to the fire department, Wiscasset Ambulance Service and Miles Memorial Hospital where she was checked after taking in smoke.

“They all took such good care of me,” she said.

She hoped her renter’s insurance would help with her losses in the fire. The Red Cross met her at the hospital and gave her funds so she could get some clothes and food, she said. She planned to stay with friends.

Her cat was missing after the fire, but came when Yeaton called when she returned to the property to look for him again. And Yeaton’s dogs were at the vet that night. She was glad they weren’t home, she said.

Frank Allen, who lives next door, owns the property. He said the mobile home was a 1984 Oxford, measured 14 by 56 feet and was not insured; in addition, the fire took away the use of the well that serves his property, he said at home Sunday. The properties lost power in the Oct. 29-30 storm and got it back about 7 p.m. Saturday night, he said.

He was just glad a smoke detector, which was electric with a battery backup, woke Yeaton up, Allen said. 

Merry was the first firefighter on-scene. The home was fully engulfed in flames, with fire coming out one end, he said in a phone interview from the fire station later Sunday. Yeaton reported the fire at 2:20 a.m. Sunday, fire officials said. Edgecomb minded Wiscasset’s station and Westport Island, Alna, Woolwich, Dresden and Pittston helped Wiscasset at the scene, he said.

The fire threatened no other buildings, Merry said. Firefighters cleared the scene at 4:15 a.m., he said.

With a portion of Bradford Road closed, trucks got to the fire via Foye Road and Willow Lane, Merry said.