ROCKLAND — A Rockland resident received treatment for burns to her hands and feet Friday morning, May 14, after a passerby noticed smoke and flames coming from the second story of a Birch Street home. Minutes later, Rockland police arrived to find a single woman on the front lawn and smoke in the building.

A total of 30 firefighters from Rockland, Rockport, and Camden answered the 5:41 a.m. call from Knox Regional Communications Center, with the first Rockland units arriving within 5 minutes to confirm the presence of heavy smoke and flames bursting from the second-floor windows.

With only the house itself on fire – no other structures or vehicles in harms’ way – firefighters outside of the structure immediately sprayed water inward to prevent the spread of flame to the outside. They then deployed an attach line, made entry into the building, extinguished the flames, and searched the rest of the building to check for any other occupants who may have been inside, according to Rockland Fire Chief Chris Whytock, in a news release. No other victims were found.

After an investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office, Rockland Fire, and Rockland PD, the cause of fire was determined as Careless disposal of smoking materials.

“It was determined that the tenant was smoking in bed, which ignited materials in the bedroom,” said Whytock.

Approximately 400 gallons of water was used to extinguish the fire with heavy fire and smoke damage to the second floor.

According to Chief Whytock, the following factors contributed to the success of the operation:

1. Quick notification to The Knox County Regional Communications Center helped prevent the spread of fire to the house.

2. A quick response by Rockland Fire & EMS and our mutual aid partners from Camden and Rockport.

3. Staffed fire stations save time, which saves lives and property. Our first due companies were arriving on scene within 5 minutes of being notified of the fire. Water was being applied to the fire within an estimated 7 minutes, which eliminates fire development.

ROCKLAND — Just before 6 a.m., area firefighters responded to a mutual aid call of a house fire on Birch Street, in Rockland.

First on-scene firefighters arrived at 19 Birch Street, Friday, May 14, 2021 to find smoke coming from the second floor of a house, and heavy fire within, after being dispatched by Knox Regional Communications Center at approximately 5:45 a.m. Within 15 minutes, the  Rockland and Rockport firefighters had the majority of the flames knocked down, while the Camden firefighters served as the rapid intervention response team charged with being ready to enter the structure if a mayday call should come. 

No mayday was required, and all residents had evacuated the structure prior to the responders’ arrival. 

An occupant of the house was eventually transported the the hospital by Rockland EMS with non-life threatening injuries.

Mutual aid fire departments were back at their own stations around 7 a.m.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com