Fire destroys Casco home
By Dawn De Busk
Staff Writer
CASCO — Life has infused Colleen Richards with thankfulness.
She is thankful that she decided to check her emails instead of taking a shower. She is thankful that she followed the source of a weird plastic smell until she found the fire. She has experienced a situation where seconds really do count; she and her family escaped her Casco Village home while it was already being engulfed by fire.
Richards said she is also thankful for her neighbors in the Casco Village and for a generous community of Mainers who have shown kindness to her family, many donating money anonymously.
“A friend of mine started a GoFund me page. It’s so unbelievable all the donations, help and support we have received from this community,” Richards said one week after the fire.
8 fire stations respond to house fire
By Dawn De Busk
Staff Writer
CASCO — A home fire in Casco Village required the mutual assistance of eight fire departments to battle the flames during the first nor’easter of the winter. Including Casco Fire and Rescue Department, six other stations sent people and equipment.
Meanwhile, two depart-ments covered for the stations that had all available staff at the scene. The fire happened on the morning of Feb. 2; and the structure ended up being a total loss, according to Casco Fire Chief Brian Cole.
“It was last Tuesday. We were dispatched at 10:41 a.m. We were the first arriving unit. We were there at 10:43 a.m.,” Cole said.
"The other departments on scene were “Naples, Otisfield, Oxford, Raymond, Bridgton and Poland,” he said. “Windham and Mechanic Falls were used for station coverage.”
When first responders arrived, dispatch had told them there were still people inside.
“There were reports of people trapped. When we got there, they were out” of the house, Cole said.
A section of the home collapsed while firefighters were on site.
“There were some people in close proximity. But, there were no firefighters in that immediate area of the collapse,” Cole said. Cole said the collapse probably happened because “just the amount of fire that was involved in the building. It weak-ened the structure.” While things calmed down after the first hour, crews were there most of the day.
“We had the fire under control in about an hour. We were there until about 5:30 p.m.,” Cole said. The home, which was located 15 Leach Hill Rd., was “a total loss,” Cole said. The State Fire Marshall has not yet determined the cause of the fire, he said.
“We are so grateful, thankful and blessed to all be alive! Everything everyone has done for us means so much to us! And, we are forever thankful,” she said.
Currently, the American Red Cross has covered the cost of a hotel room for the family. There were also two tenants who rented an apartment attached to the home.
Richards’ sister-in-law Sarah Kurchian started the GoFundMe page on the day of the fire. The link is: http://gf.me/u/zhvbmq
It’s entitled Help the Richards Family. As of Tuesday afternoon, $2,325 had been donated. The goal is $5,000.
Richards recalled what happened.
“On Feb. 2, it was a normal morning. My husband [Andrew] and I got up at 6 a.m., had coffee and watched the news. My 7-year-old daughter [Aspen] had remote learning that day due to the snowstorm so she had a Google meet with her teacher and class at 9 a.m. She came downstairs about 7 a.m. and had some breakfast and went back upstairs to play on her computer in her bedroom. I told her I would call her downstairs 10 minutes before her 9 a.m. meeting with her teacher,” Richards said.
Nine o’clock “rolls around and she started her meeting. Meanwhile, I’m doing dishes and her dad is working in his office right off from our kitchen. (He’s a graphic designer.) It was 9:20 a.m. and my daughter was already done with her Google meets. We do her homework and she asked if she could go back on the computer. I told her she could go on for about another half hour,” she said.
As these seemingly everyday events were unfolding, it was about 10:30 a.m., she said.
“At that time I thought to myself, ‘Maybe, I’ll jump in the shower’ but I thought, ‘Well, let me sit down on the couch and check my emails first,’ ” she said. “I sat down and started smelling plastic smell. My husband’s laptop was behind me on a window shelf plugged in so I thought maybe it was overheating so I smelled around it. Then, when I turned my head I noticed out the living room window flames blurring out my tenants double doors.”
“I yelled out, ‘HUN, THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE!’ My daughter screamed and ran down the stairs in seconds. She had no shoes on. I picked her up in my arms, grabbed her coat that was hanging up, slipped on some shoes and ran out the door,” Richards said.
“Meanwhile, my husband grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran outside to try and tame the fire. It was already out of hand,” she said, adding she called 911 from her cell phone.
“When I ran outside with my daughter in the blizzard we were having, I took her to the neighbors’ house. They quickly got her a blanket, warm socks to put on and occupied her while my husband and I were outside waiting for the firetrucks,” she said.
The first firetruck, a unit from Casco, arrived within three minutes of 911 dispatch notifying the station, according to Casco Fire Chief Brian Cole.
Seven departments, including Casco, were on scene for the house fire, Cole said.
Richards was amazed how many fire departments showed up.
“I just can’t express how thankful we are for everyone to come together for us like they have,” Richards said.
They had home insurance and they hope to use the same footprint for their new home.
“We do plan on rebuilding on the same spot,” she said. “We absolutely love Casco Village and our neighbors, who also were a huge help.”
