Fire destroyed a log cabin-style house on Old Military Road in Winn on Sunday, according to the Mattawamkeag fire chief.
Homeowners Jessica and Corey Peters were home, but got out of the burning house without injury. No firefighters were injured either, Fire Chief Mike Coombs said Monday.
Several of the department’s firefighters were attending a training session in Millinocket when the call came in around 9 a.m., Coombs said. Mutual aid departments from Medway and Lee, plus Lincoln ambulance, stepped in to help out.
Firefighters found flames coming from the windows of the house’s second story upon arrival, he said. They had to rip sheets of metal roofing off the approximately 15-year-old house in order to get to the flames. Between the actual fire damage to the second floor and the heat, smoke and water damage to the rest of the house, Coombs said the building was a total loss.
The fire departments used water from a neighbor’s fish pond.
Corey Peters found fire and smoke in an upstairs bedroom when he went to check out a noise the couple heard from downstairs. They thought their two cats were into mischief, the fire chief said.
The couple had insurance on their home and they are staying with relatives, he said. One cat has been found and the homeowners think the other is hiding somewhere and will return.
Firefighters saved the garage.
Firefighters returned to the station at 2 p.m. The fire marshal’s office is expected to look into the cause on Tuesday.
