WALDOBORO — “We were extremely fortunate that Mother Nature gave us 40-degrees in a February to fight a fire,” said Waldoboro Fire Chief Paul Smeltzer. “That did make a difficult night a little easier.”

Firefighters from nine towns spent upwards of six hours overnight battling a fire that broke out Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, at 19 Hoak Road, in Waldoboro.

At 9:19 p.m., Waldoboro firefighters were dispatched to the house, which is located near an intersection with Route 220, on a smaller road west of Route 1. The resident, who was home at the time, evacuated safely; Smeltzer remains unaware of any animals in the house at the time. Still, firefighters were constantly on the lookout.

“One of the difficulties that we had was, there was an abundance of personal property throughout the house; that made it difficult for us to maneuver around,” he said.

In all, personnel arrived from Bremen, Friendship, Jefferson, Nobleboro, Union, Damariscotta, Warren, Washington, and Newcastle.

Some of them supplied firefighters. Most of them supplied tanker trucks for water.

“At this time of year, the ponds that we use that are a little closer (to the scene) are frozen and aren’t accessible, so, the easiest access is the hydrant right here at the station,” said Smeltzer.

The station is approximately 4 miles away.

The next afternoon, Feb. 3, a determined drizzle and rain would moisten the region. But, at the time of the fire, the sky was dry. It wouldn’t have mattered, according to Smeltzer. The heat from the flames was so intense, the rain would have evaporated long before it made contact. So intense was that heat, that it blew out window glass in the house itself.

The blaze started in the furnace room on the main level, according to Smeltzer. A fire had just been lit in the wood-burning boiler. Initially unbeknownst to the resident, the flames entered through the void space around the chimney and crept its way up to the third floor.

Then a few moments later the resident discovered the fire. The blaze would eventually destroy the entire structure, with most of the damage visible inside an auto mechanic-type garage used by the previous owner, who passed away in November.

The Community Navigator for the Town of Waldoboro has reached out to him to offer types of assistance often offered by the Red Cross. Smeltzer doesn’t know if the resident has accepted the assistance, “but we did offer to help,” he said.

The last remaining firefighters left the scene at 3:21 a.m.

“And then we came back,” said Smeltzer.

Several of the fire departments, including Bristol, returned to the scene a few hours later, staying until approximately 1:30 p.m.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com