ROLLINSFORD — A two alarm structure fire early Thursday afternoon was contained to the garage it started in as pets were rescued and the home was saved.
Fire Chief Mark Rutherford said the fire at 406 3rd St. began in the basement of the garage and was caused by improper disposal of material from a wood stove.
The department received the report at 12:34 p.m.
“We managed to keep the fire isolated to that building,” said Rutherford. “It was a large garage. The fire started in the basement, spread to the first floor and minimally impacted the second floor.”
The garage is attached to a large two-story house, divided into two rental units. Rutherford said no one was injured.
“We rescued three cats from one side and a dog from the other side,” said the chief. “We had good mutual aid and with our attack we brought it down.”
The fire was declared under control at 3:20 p.m. Mutual aid came from Dover, South Berwick, Eliot, Rochester, and Sanford provided station coverage. Lee responded with its air van and Durham provided the Rapid Intervention Team.
The chief explained a RIT team is a requirement now for all departments. He said the team stands by in case there is an emergency with any personnel.
“They get geared up and they stand there,” said Rutherford. “We did not need to use them, but they are there in case anyone gets in trouble, and they need to go in and get them.”
