Lewiston man injured in house fire

LEWISTON — A man living at 72 Wellman St. in Lewiston was taken to a local hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries Saturday night, fire officials said.

Firefighters knocked down a blaze that appeared to start in the basement near the chimney and burned through the floor of the single-story ranch, causing "serious" damage, Fire Chief Paul LeClair said.

The flames burned through structural supports, making the floor unsafe. Firefighters cut a hole in the roof to ventilate the smoke and brought the fire under control shortly before 9 p.m.

"Everybody's out. Everybody's safe," LeClair said. A fire investigator was en route to the scene to determine the cause of the fire.

FIRE REPORTED ON LOON DRIVE

LEWISTON — A home at 4 Loon Drive was heavily damaged by fire Monday afternoon. No one was home at the time. A dog had been in the building, but was reported to be safe, police said. The owner of the one-and-a-half story building, Richard Bradstreet of Wales, told police that his daughter and son-in-law were living there but had been out of town. A neighbor called 911 shortly before 1 p.m. A neighbor reported seeing flames shooting from the building's roof at about 12:45 p.m. Neighbor Jeanne Raymond, who lives at 3 Loon Lane, said she saw the fire from her window. “I saw a lot of smoke and some flames,” she said. “The house is gone. I feel bad for them.” When the fire broke out a truck was parked in the yard, she said. “I was worried someone was in there. I'm so happy they're all OK,” she said. Bradstreet owns other properties in the area, she said. Raymond said she knows Bradstreet's daughter and son-in-law. “My heart goes out to them. They're a nice family. You couldn't ask for better people.” Power to the street was shut off as emergency crews worked. Lewiston police Lt. Marc Robitaille said the Lewiston Fire Department's fire investigator is expected to comb through the remains later Monday once firefighters have suppressed the fire to determine its cause and origin.

Check out a video made by Brother Billy Bergeron.

GO TO NEWS ARCHIVES TRIBUTE TO THE LEWISTON FD. 

Bathroom Fire Being Investigated

LEWISTON — Fire officials were investigating an evening blaze Wednesday that apparently started in a bathroom at Gateway Apartments on Lisbon Street. Fire crews were first called out at about 9 p.m. after smoke and flames were spotted in an apartment on the third floor. Firefighters who rushed into the building found a small fire in the bathroom. They were able to snuff it out before it spread to other parts of the building. Police were tasked with rounding up tenants as part of a building evacuation. In the middle of that process, firefighters reported the fire was out. Nobody was hurt. Smoke ejectors were brought into the building and a fire investigator was called to the scene. The cause of the blaze remained under investigation late Wednesday night. Gateway Apartments is at 11 Lisbon St., is near the corner of Main Street.

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