ST. ALBANS — A malfunctioning temporary furnace inside an Orchard Drive
home left the house intact and fire fighters feeling thankful.

"It's a miracle the place is still there," said Chief David I. Crocker
of the St. Albans Fire Department.

The temporary oil furnace was installed in the basement to keep workers
warm as the home is under construction, Crocker said. When workers
ignited the furnace around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the fire box exploded
into flames. A combination of fire fighters' quick response and the fact
the furnace had little fuel with which to work left the home undamaged,
Crocker said.

With no telephone service at the two story home, which is owned by Tim
Ames, construction crews were forced to wave down a passing motorist to
call for help.

"It would have made a difficult situation had (the house) got going,"
Crocker said. "The road is real narrow and it would have been difficult
to get trucks down there."

Fire fighters from St. Albans and Hartland responded to fire. The flames
were quickly extinguished.

"They weren't out there more than 20 or 25 minutes," Crocker said.

Damage was limited to the furnace itself.

"We were very fortunate it didn't have enough fuel to get going,"
Crocker said.