A little after 7:30 p.m. on February 26, Robert Buck was cooking his birthday dinner in his 1700s-era colonial on the Middle Road in Woolwich when he heard a loud explosion. Using a household fire extinguisher, he tried to douse the flames that were rippling through the walls of the barn attached to his house. He heard his neighbor, Tim LaRochelle, yell from behind, “I've called 911.” 

The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, one of two in the town of Woolwich.

Buck said LaRochelle urged him to stay out of his house until firefighters arrived. “We waited and we waited and we waited,” Buck said. He and LaRochelle watched as the flames grew and spread from the barn into the wing of the house where Buck had just been. 

Buck's wife was on her way home. “I know it was only a matter of minutes,” he said, adding that despite firefighters' rapid response, it felt like a long time.

Firefighters got the call at 7:36 p.m., according to Woolwich Fire Chief Geoffrey McCarren. Firefighters from nine departments in Woolwich, Bath, West Bath, Phippsburg, Arrowsic, Georgetown, Dresden, Richmond and Wiscasset arrived on the scene at 7:43 p.m. 

“There must have been 75 to 100 firefighters here,” Buck said. “They came from everywhere.”

Firefighters cleared out at 2:45 the following morning. No one was injured from the fire.

That same day, late afternoon on February 27, as damp snow accumulated on the charred remains of the barn, Buck sat in the driver seat of his minivan assessing the damage. For safety reasons, Central Maine Power cut electricity off to the house. Buck was waiting to hear from a master electrician who will determine whether if the house is habitable and the power can be restored. Buck was also waiting to meet with the fire marshal, who would investigate the damage and try to determine the cause of the fire.

McCarren said the fire was not suspicious, but the results will show for certain whether Buck's insurance will cover the damage, including where firefighters had to cut through the roof. Buck said the kitchen is completely destroyed, along with the barn, which served as a garage. 

The rest of the house has smoke damage. “Books, clothing, the floors: they all smell like soot,” Buck said. “It's not a nice thing.”

In addition to the fire and smoke damage, Buck is concerned about the  water pipes freezing and bursting. He has made some adjustments to the heating system and has spoken with the electrician and a plumber to see what can be done. 

In the meantime, the couple are staying at a hotel and they may also stay with relatives. Buck said he has contacted the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Department, asking for their assistance in monitoring activities there. Buck and neighbors are also keeping a close watch on the house to prevent burglars from causing more damage.

More than once, Buck mentioned his appreciation for the work of firefighters and emergency services. “My hats off to the fire departments,” he said. “They really did a great job.”

Firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to the house. Aside from the smoke damage, the house appears to be undamaged. Buck said he plans on restoring it. “I've been beatin' on it for the last 30 years,” he said. “And I'm going to keep beatin' on it.”

Buck pointed out the overlapping clapboards that cover the outside walls in uneven lines. Like many 200-year-old structures in Maine, there are places of unevenness throughout the house, he said. The house is believed to have been built by a Lt. Richard Hathorn in 1775.