House fire in South Berwick kills several pets, causes damage throughout residence

SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — Multiple pets perished in a South Berwick home fire Tuesday morning, according to Fire Chief Nick Hamel.

The South Berwick Fire Department responded to a single-family residence at 32 Witchtrot Road at 7:49 a.m. for the second-alarm fire. The volunteer department arrived within eight minutes of the call, finding a blaze in a room on the first floor, the chief said.

Firefighters from South Berwick and nearby departments kept the fire contained to the room, Hamel noted. The two-bedroom house, which was built in 1999, according to town property records, sustained water, smoke and heat damage throughout.

The chief said no people were home at the time of the fire. The residents are now staying with family. The chief said the exact number of animals that died was not immediately confirmed.

“We do not believe it’s a total loss, but that’s to be determined,” Hamel said of the home.

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Tankers lined up to feed water into a portable tank, which are used when fire hydrants in rural areas are not located nearby. Family members emotionally embraced each other as they arrived to the burning home.

The fire was under control by 8:32 a.m., the chief said.

“We’re still investigating but (the cause) does not appear to be suspicious,” Hamel said. “It definitely looks accidental.”

Mutual aid was provided by fire departments from Berwick, Eliot, Kittery and York, as well as from Dover, Newington, Rollinsford and Somersworth of New Hampshire.

Photographer Deb Cram contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: South Berwick ME 32 Witchtrot Road fire: Pets killed, home damaged