SIDNEY — Nobody was hurt when a fire destroyed a family’s home Sunday morning in Sidney.
Owner Wendy Brazz had left the home, at 35 Holway Road, about an hour earlier, and Brazz’s husband, Douglas, and son were away at camp, said her mother, Nancy Cole. They have been contacted, Cole said, and were headed back to Sidney.
Cole, who lives at the top of a hill above her daughter, said she saw the flames about 11:10 a.m. and tried to call 911 but had a problem with her cellphone. Her daughter-in-law, who lives in the same family compound, made the call as flames engulfed the two-story structure.
“I saw high flames, thick black smoke, but you couldn’t see any of the house,” Cole said. “It was completely full of smoke. There was nothing we could do.”
Sidney Fire Chief Richard Jandreau said he lives less than a mile away, and by the time he got to the scene, the house was “fully involved and the roof was gone.”
Jandreau surmised that something inside the house was the cause, though it was too early to tell. The state fire marshal’s office has been informed, he said, and will be at the scene to investigate.
“Wouldn’t have mattered how fast we got here,” Jandreau said.
The house, with a wooden frame and siding, was built in the early 1990s and recently underwent a complete interior remodeling.
Cole and other relatives were at the scene comforting Brazz and looking after their four dogs, none of which were in the house when the fire began. A 15-year-old cat was in the house and has not been located. One relative was overheard saying Brazz had called a veterinarian to make an appointment to have the cat put down.
Cole said having such a big family nearby is comforting because her daughter’s family will have all the help and support they need. Jandreau said he has known the family for years and plans on calling the American Red Cross to get the family some money for clothing and food.
Firefighters from Sidney, Belgrade, Rome, Winslow, Oakland and Smithfield responded to the report of the fire, along with the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office and Delta Ambulance.
Jandreau was hopeful that they could get an excavator to the scene to help with cleaning up the structure.
Jason Pafundi — 621-5663
jpafundi@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @jasonpafundiKJ
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