York Town News
Firefighters battle early-morning blaze on Mill Lane
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - Firefighters are crediting the barking of a family dog with helping a Mill Lane resident to escape her home without injury after a fire broke out early Tuesday morning.
The Hall residence at 71 Mill Lane sustained an estimated $40,000 in damage, York Fire Chief Chris Balentine said after the fire had been brought under control and firefighters waited on seen for insurance personnel to arrive.
Nancy Hall was asleep at the time the fire began, Balentine said, and her dog's persistent barking awoke her in time to leave the home before it filled with smoke. The fire was called in at about 5:31 a.m. on Tuesday. May 15, Balentine said, and the York and York Beach Fire Departments responded to the dirt road off Route 91 with mutual aid crews and tank trucks from Kittery, Eliot and South Berwick to help bring the fire under control.
"She had a fire in the ceiling of her kitchen and her dog woke her up with barking," Balentine said. "The building was saved, but the interior has got some heavy damage, especially in the kitchen area, with smoke damage throughout."
At this time, Balentine said, the residence is not livable due to the damage, and when the site had been cleared as of about 9 a.m., Balentine said Hall remained on the property waiting for her husband to return from work to plan what they would need to do next.
The residence, a wood-frame Cape-style farmhouse, is about 107 years old, according to the town's assessment database.
The tank trucks were needed to assist at the scene from Kittery, Eliot and South Berwick, Balentine explained, because hydrants are not in place on Mill Lane. Station coverage at York and York Beach was provided by the Ogunquit and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Fire Departments.
Balentine said the good news is there were no injuries.
"She was very fortunate," Balentine said of Hall, describing the large amount of smoke filling the house when firefighters arrived on the scene.
It has been a busy time for local firefighters since the Patriots' Day flood, Balentine confirmed, including a lighting strike at a York Harbor residence during Friday morning's thunderstorms in the area.
A home at 19 Milbury Lane, valued at about $2 million, was struck by lightning around 9:30 a.m. on Friday, causing about $20,000 in damage to a second-floor bedroom, Balentine said.
The property is one of several belonging to seasonal resident Milton Peterson, whose 27-room York Harbor mansion on Milbury Lane, which was fully renovated after being devastated by a fire several years ago, is located next door.
Balentine confirmed that no damage occurred to other adjacent buildings as a result of the lightning strike.
