Canaan couple loses home

CANAAN — Fire destroyed the Walker Road home of a Canaan couple early Sunday morning.

Fire Chief Raymond Small said that Bertrand Ramsdell and his wife were able to make it safely out of their ranch home on 22 Walker Road. The fire call went out at around 12:30 a.m., Small said.

“The wind was blowing flames across the home and wires were down when we got there,” Small said. “He said that once the back window was blown out, that was it.”

Either a propane stove or a kerosene lantern the Ramsdells were using in case they lost power caused the fire to start in the livingroom, Small said. The Ramsdells were sleeping when it began, Small said.

The couple stayed the remainder of the night at the Towne Motel in Skowhegan, and probably would stay at the Canaan Motel on Sunday night, Small said.

Crews from Clinton, Hartland, Pittsfield and Skowhegan assisted at the scene. Firefighters had the blaze knocked down in about 20 minutes, Small said.