Industry home deemed total loss following fire

[Update: 10:40 a.m.] – The owners of the home at 183 West Mills Road are Nate and Amy Morin.

INDUSTRY – A structure fire drew a number of Franklin and Somerset County fire departments to the West Mills Road Monday afternoon.

According to Industry Fire Rescue’s Chief Anthony Howard, a fire at a two-story residence and attached garage located at 183 West Mills Road was reported by one of the homeowners Monday afternoon. The call went out at approximately 3:37 p.m. with the first firefighters at the scene reporting heavy smoke and flames showing toward the back of the building.

Firefighters doused the flames but the building is believed to be a total loss, Howard said. No one was hurt in the blaze.

A strong mutual aid response from Farmington, Chesterville, New Sharon, Jay, Temple and Wilton in Franklin County as well as crews and equipment from Madison, Anson and Starks in Somerset County provided manpower that Howard said was important as crews rotated frequently to combat hot, humid conditions. Temple Fire worked from the head of Clearwater Lake to fill tankers and deliver water to scene. Franklin County Sheriff’s Office provided traffic control along West Mills Road.

“We were fortunate to get quite a few people, particularly from Somerset County,” Howard said of the mutual aid response. “We can’t do it alone.”

Howard was not certain who specifically lived at 183 West Mills Road, although he said it was a family of four or five. Only the homeowner that called in the fire was believed to be home at the time.

The fire appeared to have started toward the back of the building toward the outside of the structure, Howard said, with the flames then working their way inside. The State Fire Marshal’s Office has been called to investigate, as is standard for structure fires.

Howard said that the last crew cleared the scene at approximately 7:20 p.m.