Monticello man suffers burns, is homeless after fire

Jan. 10--MONTICELLO, Maine -- A Monticello man suffered minor burns and lost all of his possessions in a fire Monday at his home at 250 Hare Road.

Morris Pinette, chief of the Monticello Fire Department, said Bob Ellis, who owned the wooden farmhouse that the chief believes was constructed in the 1900's, was home when the fire started just before 12:30 p.m.

Ellis speculated at the scene that the fire ignited in his wood stove and he first attempted to extinguish it on his own, which caused the burns, according to Pinette.

Ellis was treated at the scene by members of the Houlton Ambulance Department, Pinette said.

"I saw him out in the community this morning," the fire chief said Tuesday. "He is going to be OK."

The two-story structure was fully involved when Monticello firefighters arrived on the scene shortly after 1:30 p.m. They received mutual aid from firefighters in Bridgewater, Houlton and Littleton.

"It was quite a fire," said the chief. "You could see the smoke rising from Littleton. We attacked the fire from the outside, but with a roof like that entirely made out of wood, it just made the fire spread much more quickly."

After spending more than four hours extinguishing the fire on Monday afternoon, some Monticello firefighters returned to the property for a total of two hours later in the evening to deal with flare ups amidst the rubble.

Ellis did not have insurance on the property and the dwelling was a total loss. Pinette said he believed that representatives of the American Red Cross had contacted Ellis to offer assistance.

Pinette said the State Fire Marshal's Office would not be investigating the fire.

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