Sandra Rumery was asleep in her downstairs bedroom around 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, when she was awakened by the popping of fire. 

“The fire woke me up,” she said on Monday. Rumery and her grandson, Asa, quickly left the burning house and were sitting in her car when Boothbay Fire Chief Dick Spofford arrived minutes later.

By then, fire was streaming out of a skylight and the two-story cape’s roof. Spofford had Rumery move her car to the neighbor’s driveway and began to strategize, while waiting for the fire trucks to arrive.

“It feels like a long time while you are waiting for the truck. You make sure everyone’s out and then figure out your strategy and whether you will send firefighters into the house,” Spofford said on Monday.

Firefighters from as far away as Westport Island responded to the early morning Boothbay blaze. Although the fire was contained within an hour, it took much longer to completely extinguish it. With no hydrants in the neighborhood, tanker trucks relayed water from a hydrant at Boothbay Center. The usually quiet Back River Landing Road was a jam of trucks, firefighters and other emergency personnel for most of the morning.

“With a water shuttle operation, it takes a lot of manpower,” Spofford said.

As of Monday morning, the State Fire Marshal had not yet determined the cause of the fire. Rumery said she did not know the cause but wondered if something had gone wrong with the house’s electrical system.

“The house was struck by lightning a few years ago and I wonder if it was related to that,” she said.

Rumery is staying with friends in Boothbay Harbor and said she has been humbled by all the friends, neighbors and community organizations that have reached out to her.

“You find out how many friends you have when something like this happens. My phone has been ringing off the hook,” she said.

Rumery’s cat, Gracie, was found alive by firefighters on the first floor of the house, but escaped from the house and is still missing.

“One of the guys found the cat on the first floor but wasn’t able to control it when he tried to bring her outside. She ran upstairs and jumped out the second story window,” Spofford said.

Rumery said she is particularly grateful to all the firefighters who responded on Saturday and have reached out to her and her grandson since.

“It’s been wonderful to see,” she said.

It was announced on Tuesday, Nov. 8 that a fundraising potluck supper for the benefit of Sandra Rumery and family will be held Sat., Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. at the American Legion Hall in Boothbay. The fundraiser is being co-sponsored by the American Legion, Boothbay Region Health & Wellness Foundation and the Boothbay Region Community Resources Council.