SOUTH THOMASTON — One firefighter to arrive on scene of a house fire at the corner of Buttermilk Lane and Elm Street (Route 73) in South Thomaston paused on the front lawn and looked to where a house should be. All he saw was smoke. 

By 9 a.m., Tuesday, February 15, 2022, most of the black smoke had dissipated, only returning in the form of white mist when on-demand hose water blew astray with the wind. But, for the 45 minutes prior, visibility, air temperatures and structural weaknesses would compete in opposition to the fight for fire containment.

South Thomaston Fire Department was called to the double-wide, one-story structure at 156 Elm Street at approximately 8:15 a.m. Soon after, they were joined by firefighters from Owls Head, Thomaston, Cushing, St. George, Warren, and Rockland. A little more time passed before Rockport FD appeared as extra manpower.

Due to the home not having working smoke detectors, the one resident who was home at the time of the fire was unaware of the flames until a neighbor who knew where her bedroom was, pounded on her doors to alert her, according to South Thomaston Fire Chief Bryan Calderwood. As first on scene, Calderwood also encountered a stretch of Elm Street with zero visibility from smoke coming from the entire front side of the house.

With the interior deemed unsafe, crews aimed hoses into windows and doors. As the flames spread along the walls, new holes were punctured as ways to keep the water aimed where it was needed. 

That water also found its way into areas where it was not needed. Sweat built up inside the uniforms of the personnel as they took their turns inside the hot zone. EMS personnel on scene distributed 8 oz. bottles of water. By 10 a.m., an entire case would be consumed. Soon after firefighters took their breaks and stepped away, sweat turned icy in the 14 degree morning with even icier windchills. As time went by, one could tell who’d been in the spray zone. If the ice droplets on their gear didn’t give them away, the clunky walk of additional weight strengthened the story.

Firefighters learned that a heat gun was being used to thaw frozen pipes under the house and was accidentally left on when one of the homeowners left for work, according to Calderwood. A dog and a cat also resided in the home. The cat perished.

In regards to the hot spots, an excavator was called for as a proactive measure for possibly knocking down walls. In the end, the excavator was not used.

All remaining firefighters left the scene at 11:30 a.m.