LEWISTON — An early-morning fire traced to an overheated compressor in a chest freezer left four people homeless Tuesday, according to firefighters.
Capt. Wallace Veilleux said the fire started in a second-floor kitchen area at 9:18 a.m at 192 Pine St.
One resident and a firefighter suffered minor smoke inhalation, but neither had to be taken to the hospital, Veilleux said.
A cat was treated with oxygen at the scene.
The building, owned by Joe Dunn, had six units, only some of which were occupied. Damage was estimated at $80,000.
“Power has been cut and they’ve got a lot of work to do. We had to take out several windows,” Veilleux said. “The building will be unoccupied for a while.”
Hollie Crocker, who lived in a first-floor apartment, said second-floor tenants came down the fire escape to alert her to the smoke.
“(The Fire Department) came really quick,” Crocker said. “It’s just you don’t even think it’s the last time you’re going to see your stuff.”
Standing outside in the cold as smoke billowed from the second floor, she was waiting on word of her cat. “I’ve had him since he was seven weeks old,” Crocker said. “That’s my baby.”
Veilleux said two cats and a dog made it out OK.
“One cat I saw needed oxygen,” he said. “It was in rough shape but appeared to have recovered.”
The firefighter who breathed in smoke ran out of air while doing a sweep for tenants on the third floor, Veilleux said. “The apartment is very cut up, so they had difficulty finding their way to windows to try to ventilate the place.”
kskelton@sunjournal.com
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