Fire heavily damages Brunswick home

Courtesy of Brunswick Fire Department

Flames shoot from a building on McKeen Street in Brunswick as fire crews arrive. No one was home and no injuries resulted from the blaze, according to Brunswick Fire Chief Ken Brillant.

By Darcie Moore, Times Record

Posted Feb. 08, 2012, at 5:36 p.m.

BRUNSWICK, Maine — A two-alarm fire at a two-story home at 156 McKeen St. remains under investigation tonight.

The fire was reported at 1:59 p.m., according to Brunswick Fire Chief Ken Brillant, who said crews finally cleared the scene at around 4:20 p.m.

Brillant said neither of the home’s occupants, Tammy Paulmiter and Bob Babbitt, were home at the time flames broke out. A passerby reported the blaze.

Firefighters responding to the call at the two-story building found the first floor of the building in flames. They determined that the fire was spreading to the second floor.

Upon arriving, fire crews observed a vehicle in the driveway but didn’t know if anyone was inside the burning structure. After extinguishing the fire and ventilating the building, firefighters entered and conducted a search. They found no one.

Brillant said firefighters knocked down flames by about 2:30 p.m. Heavy smoke remained, as fire crews secured the scene.

The building suffered “a ton of damage,” due not only to fire but also heat and smoke, Brillant said. Brunswick police and fire departments are investigating the cause of the fire, which Brillant said most likely started on the first floor in the kitchen or living room. Determining where the fire started will be part of the ongoing investigation, he said.

No one was hurt as a result of the fire. Brunswick, Freeport, Topsham and West Bath fire departments were at the scene of the fire, Brillant said. Bath and Durham departments and a Topsham ladder truck covered the station.

Police blocked traffic on McKeen Street, causing congestion along many downtown Brunswick streets.