ROCKLAND — Flames came very close to impinging on a house in Rockland, Thursday, May 30, before quick actions curbed the spread of fire from a garage eight feet away.

Thanks to responses by a 9-1-1 caller and by Rockland firefighters, the homeowner of 10 Camden Street Terrace remains in her house despite the loss of her one-car garage.

At 6:19 p.m., a third party male reported the flames to Knox County Communications Center.  

“Our first due companies were arriving on scene, from across the City, in under 5 minutes from being notified,” said Rockland Fire Chief Chris Whytock.

Members of A-Shift quickly deployed a hose line and within 8 minutes they had water on the fire.

Approximately 1400 gallons of water was used to extinguish, overhaul, and cool hot spots.

By then, mutual aid had arrived by way of members of Rockland’s call division, and Rockport and Camden fire departments.

The Fire Marshal’s Office is assisting with Rockland Fire Department’s investigation into the cause of the garage fire.

ROCKLAND — A garbage truck driver is credited with alerting responders to a garage fire in Rockland, Thursday, May 30.

At approximately 6:20 p.m., the driver called Knox County Communications Center to report smoke and flames visible from a detached garage on Camden Street Terrace, which is a dead-end street behind Rosalyn Thai Restaurant on Route 1. 

So quietly did the fire begin that the homeowner had no knowledge of the situation until firefighters knocked on her door.

The one-car garage did not contain a vehicle, just a lawnmower and some other items, none of which the owner believed could have caught fire.

Members of Duty Shift ‘A’ knocked down the fire within about 15 minutes. Firefighters from Rockport assisted with locating and extinguishing flare-ups and hot spots.

The cause of fire remains under investigation.

More details will be added as they become available.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com