A fire that broke out in the basement of a home in Gorham on Sunday afternoon completely destroyed the furnace and caused extensive smoke damage.
Gorham Fire Chief Kenny Fickett said first responders faced heavy smoke conditions in the basement upon arrival at the home located at 9 Longfellow Road.
The hot water furnace is fed with pellets and Fickett said the fire appears to have started in the feeder part of the furnace unit. The furnace is a total loss and there is major smoke damage, the chief said.
Fickett said the owners of the home told him they have insurance. The chief said the home has heat pumps for heating, but no hot water. One of the owners was alerted to the fire around 3:30 p.m. after smoke detectors went off.
Firefighters from Windham, Westbrook, Scarborough, Buxton, and Standish assisted Gorham with fighting the fire at the two-story duplex.
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