A fire in Surry destroyed a house Thursday and killed 10 pets there.
The owners of the house on Sunfish Lane were not home when the fire was reported around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, according to Surry Assistant Fire Chief Russell Smith. In all, seven dogs, two cats and a guinea hen are believed to have died in the fire, he said.
The owner, identified in the town’s assessing records as Evelyn Casanova, also lost an urn containing her deceased son’s ashes, according to Smith. Firefighters were at the fire scene until 6:30 p.m. Thursday and went back again Friday morning, he said, but have been unable to locate the urn.
Firefighters found bodies of all the pets but one cat, which is presumed dead because it was kept inside, Smith said.
The house was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived at the scene, Smith said. He was not sure if it was insured but said it was a total loss.
The state fire marshal’s office sent investigators to the scene, but they have not been able to identify the cause, the assistant chief said. Two possibilities are that it was electrical or that it was caused by a wood stove, he said.
Fire departments in Blue Hill, Ellsworth and Orland also sent mutual aid to assist Surry, with roughly 20 firefighters in total working to extinguish the blaze, he said.
