2 min read

Brunswick firefighters battle smoke to secure the scene of a house fire at 156 McKeen St. on Wednesday afternoon. The fire was reported at approximately 2 p.m. Wednesday. Early reports indicate that no one was home at the time. (Darcie Moore / The Times Record)
Brunswick firefighters battle smoke to secure the scene of a house fire at 156 McKeen St. on Wednesday afternoon. The fire was reported at approximately 2 p.m. Wednesday. Early reports indicate that no one was home at the time. (Darcie Moore / The Times Record)
BRUNSWICK — A two-alarm fire at a two-story home at 156 McKeen St. remains under investigation tonight.

Flames rip through a residence on McKeen Street in Brunswick on Wednesday afternoon. (Courtesy of Brunswick Fire Department)
Flames rip through a residence on McKeen Street in Brunswick on Wednesday afternoon. (Courtesy of Brunswick Fire Department)
The fire was reported at 1:59 p.m., according to Brunswick Fire Chief Ken Brillant, who said crews finally cleared the scene at around 4:20 p.m.

Brillant said neither of the home’s occupants, Tammy Paulmiter, and Bob Babbitt, were home at the time flames broke out. A passerby reported the blaze.

Firefighters responding to the two-story building found the first floor in front of the building heavily involved in flames. They determined that the fire was spreading to the second floor.

Brunswick firefighters battle smoke to secure the scene of a house fire at 156 McKeen St. on Wednesday afternoon. The fire was reported at approximately 2 p.m. Wednesday. Early reports indicate that no one was home at the time. (Darcie Moore / The Times Record)
Brunswick firefighters battle smoke to secure the scene of a house fire at 156 McKeen St. on Wednesday afternoon. The fire was reported at approximately 2 p.m. Wednesday. Early reports indicate that no one was home at the time. (Darcie Moore / The Times Record)
Upon arriving, fire crews observed a vehicle in the driveway but didn’t know if anyone was inside the burning structure. After extinguishing the fire and ventilating the building, firefighters entered and conducted a search. They found no one.

Advertisement

Brillant said firefighters knocked down flames by about 2:30 p.m. Heavy smoke remained, as fire crews secured the scene.

The building sustained “a ton of damage,” not due only to fire but also heat and smoke, Brillant said. Brunswick police and fire departments are investigating the cause of the fire, which Brillant said he’d venture to say started on the first floor in the kitchen or living room, but determining where the fire started will be part of the ongoing investigation.

No one was hurt as a result of the fire. Brunswick, Freeport, Topsham and West Bath fire departments were at the scene of the fire, Brillant said. Bath and Durham departments and a Topsham ladder truck covered the station.

Police blocked traffic on McKeen Street, causing backup and congestion along many downtown Brunswick streets.

dmoore@timesrecord.com

 


Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.