BENTON — Fire tore through a mobile home at 89 Unity Road Wednesday, destroying the home and leaving two people homeless.

Fairfield fire Chief Duane Bickford said the fire is believed to have started from heat tape that was wrapped around pipes under the mobile home.

No injuries were reported, according to Bickford.

The homeowner, Brian Coccio, and a female whose name Bickford did not know, were home when the fire started and smelled smoke, he said.

The home was not insured, and the pair lost everything, he said.

About 25 firefighters from Fairfield, Clinton and Winslow fought the fire, which was reported at 6:05 p.m. Waterville firefighters stood by at the Fairfield station, he said.

Advertisement

Fighting the fire was made difficult by extreme cold and icy conditions and the fact that the mobile home was a long way from the road, according to Bickford.

He said the home is about a mile from the bridge crossing the Sebasticook River in Benton, and firefighters had to get water from a hydrant near that bridge.

He said that at one point, smoke and fire was so heavy in the mobile home that firefighters had to stop what they were doing.

“We initially made a interior attack and the fire flashed over, so we had to pull the crews out,” Bickford said.

Coccio and the woman planned to stay with relatives Wednesday night, according to Bickford.

“He has relatives that live right next door,” he said.

The state Department of Transportation arrived to sand the roads where firefighters were working, as well as around the fire hydrant, Bickford said. Central Maine Power Co. cut off power to the house. State police also worked at the scene.

Amy Calder — 861-9247
acalder@centralmaine.com


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.