At 6:12 p.m., Friday, Oct. 25 Lincoln County Emergency Communications received a 911 call from a woman who said her house at 634 River Road in Edgecomb was on fire.

A mutual aid call to assist Edgecomb Fire was immediately initiated for Boothbay, Newcastle, Damariscotta, Nobleboro, Wiscasset and Bremen Fire and Rescue Departments as well as for CLC Ambulance and Lincoln County Sherriff's Department.

Arriving fire crews, who encountered the home with extensive fire showing on the first and second floors, immediately initiated an aggressive direct fire attack with three fire crews penetrating the first floor in the front and rear of the home and on the second floor. Fire crews encountered heavy flame and temperatures exceeding 500F on the interior of the structure and the complexity of the fire situation was compounded due to the structure of the home, which had large open ceilings, and multiple structural variations.

Fire attack engines from Boothbay and Edgecomb were positioned in the front of the home, and Newcastle Fire was able to position its fire attack engine in the rear of the home using an old, abandoned logging road, which allowed fire crews fighting the fire in the rear of the home to have several hoses and scene lighting which improved overall firefighter effectiveness and safety.

Firefighters, who quickly determined that the three occupants were all safely accounted for, were also able to save several of the cats that were in the structure. Unfortunately, one of the cats succumbed to their injuries.

Since this section of River Road lacked fire hydrants, a 10-foot x 20-foot portable rubber drop tank was established which allowed arriving fire tankers which carry between 1,500 and 2,500 gallons of water to off load their water directly into the drop tank. Four tankers were used to shuttle water from Newcastle fire station to the fire scene, and Boothbay’s Tank 2 was then able to use the drop tank water to supply water directly to fire attack engines that were positioned closer to the structure. Fire officials estimated that approximately 12,000 gallons of water and 1,700 feet of hose were used to extinguish the fire.

A total of 14 fire apparatus comprising fire attack engines, tankers, heavy rescue, air resupply, utility, support and command and control vehicles were deployed to the scene.

Due to the complexity and duration of the fire scene, over 65 firefighters, EMS, Police, Fire Investigation and Fire auxiliary personnel were deployed to the scene.

While the initial fire was knocked down in 45 minutes, several areas on the first and second floors continued to reignite over the next three hours, requiring firefighters to continue to penetrate the structure to extinguish the fire and perform an extensive overhaul of the structure, which involved checking the affected areas to ensure the fire is completely extinguished, removing any burning materials and ventilating the space to remove smoke and heat. Firefighters on the second and first floors spent two hours with thermal cameras searching and extinguishing stubborn pockets of fire in the walls and roof.

Due to the significant and extended time firefighters were in the building and fighting the fire externally., CLC Ambulance and Newcastle Fire established a firefighter rehabilitation station, which allowed firefighters after having consumed their self-contained breathing apparatus air to be examined by fire and medical personnel before returning to the fire scene.

Additionally, Newcastle Fire established an air resupply station using their rescue and fire support truck, providing firefighters with the ability to refill their air bottles and return to firefighting operations.

Boothbay Region Fire Auxiliary provided much needed food, water and overall support to the firefighters from the seven departments.

Six police vehicles and officers from Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office were on hand to provide overall scene safety and support. Additionally, Maine State Fire Marshal's Office performed an initial investigation into the cause of the fire, which remains unknown at this time and is under active further investigation by the Fire Marshal's Office.

River Road was closed to traffic for over six hours, and fire crews cleared the scene at 12:45 a.m.