Fire Marshal identifies elderly man killed in early morning blaze in Union
This home on South Union Road in Union was fully involved when the firefighter arrived on scene around 2 a.m. Wednesday.
The home was a total loss and the State Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate.
Firefighters spent many hours Wednesday morning putting out the fire at one of Union’s oldest farmhouses, owned by Lawrence Dries, who perished in the blaze. (Maine Fire Marshal’s Office)
An excavator eventually had to be brought in to the fire scene to level the remaining structure so firefighters could pour water onto the stubborn embers. (Maine Fire Marshal’s Office)
This home on South Union Road in Union was fully involved when the firefighter arrived on scene around 2 a.m. Wednesday.
The home was a total loss and the State Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate.
Firefighters spent many hours Wednesday morning putting out the fire at one of Union’s oldest farmhouses, owned by Lawrence Dries, who perished in the blaze. (Maine Fire Marshal’s Office)
An excavator eventually had to be brought in to the fire scene to level the remaining structure so firefighters could pour water onto the stubborn embers. (Maine Fire Marshal’s Office)
UNION (May 24, noon) — The state Fire Marshal’s Office has identified the man who died in an early morning fire in Union as Lawrence Dries, 80. Dries lived alone in the farmhouse, one of the oldest in the town, on South Union Road (Route 131).
According to Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland, Dries was located in a first floor bathroom of the two-story house.
The fire was reported just before 2 a.m. on May 24, and the home was engulfed in flames when the first firefighters arrived.
Fire Marshal investigators said the fire started in the kitchen, but the exact cause cannot be determined because of the extensive damage to the house. An excavator was brought to the scene Wednesday morning, and the house was leveled as firefighters continued to pour water on the rubble.
McCausland said Dries is the former manager of the JJ Newberry department store, which had a popular lunch counter, in Rockland.
UNION (May 24, 7:10 a.m.) — The body of an 80-year-old man has just been found in the rubble of his home that caught fire early this morning in Union.
The identity of the man, who state Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said lived alone in the residence, has not been released pending notification of family.
The Fire Marshal’s Office has said that the fire appears to have started around the kitchen.
Mutual aid was called to battle the blaze at the home, which was fully involved upon the arrival of the first firefighter. The home was located on South Union Road, near Thurston Road.
UNION (May 24, 5:30 a.m.) — Fire departments from around the town of Union were called to a residence on South Union Road (Route 131) at around 2 a.m. for a report of a structure fire. When the first unit arrived on scene, it was a confirmed fire in a two-story home, and it was fully involved.
The towns of Washington and Warren joined in to help the battle the blaze, Waldoboro Fire brought in its ladder truck and North East Mobile Health had at least two ambulances on scene until the fire was under control.
The home was located near Thurston Road, where a water supply was set up to truck water into the scene. That stretch of South Union Road runs between Seven Tree Pond and Crawford Pond.
Due to the extent of damage, Union Fire Department requested the State Fire Marshal be called.
It is not yet known if the resident(s) of the home were at home at the time of the fire, or if they were able to escape the blaze that destroyed the home. When the first unit arrived on scene, not all of the occupants had been accounted for, according to reports.
PenBayPilot.com will update this story when more information is available from the Fire Marshal’s Office.
Reach Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6655
Event Date
Address
South Union Road
Union, ME
United States
