Sunday’s fire at the Freedom Center transitional home in Dresden started in the designated smoking area for residents, Maine Department of Public Safety Spokesman Steve McCausland states in an email Monday afternoon.

An electrical inspector is scheduled to assist investigators on Tuesday, the email states. “The fire started in the rear of the building, near the electrical entrance to the building.”

The early morning fire kept firefighters from neighboring towns and departments as far as Boothbay and Farmingdale busy for hours putting it out and tending to hot spots. Eleven people got out safely from the burning building, Dresden Fire Chief Steve Lilly said Sunday. A dog died, Lilly said.