Smoke detectors and quick thinking by a Bridgewater homeowner helped save her home from an electrical fire Tuesday morning.

Carleton County Fire
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Bridgewater Fire Department made a quick call for assistance from Monticello and Mars Hill Fire Departments as they responded to the blaze on Milliken Street around 9:30 a.m. The homeowner, Cherry Cowan, had dropped her granddaughter off at the local Rec. Department and returned home five minutes later to find the smoke detectors going off, according to Bridgewater Fire Department’s Public Information Officer Matthew Powers.

Damage was relatively minor because Cowan kept the doors and windows shut, limiting the spread of the fire until firefighters arrived, Powers said.

In all, 25 firefighters from the three communities were involved in extinguishing the blaze and removing smoke from the house. Crews were on site for about two hours Tuesday morning and were assisted by Emera Maine. Crown Ambulance was also on the scene to insure firefighter safety.

There was heat damage in the basement and smoke damage throughout the house, Powers said. The cause of the fire was a dehumidifier in the basement of Cowan's home. The home was insured.

In 2013, the Bridgewater Fire Department distributed smoke detectors to all homes in the town with help from a grant by the Aroostook County Fire Chief's Association. The smoke detector that provided Cowan with the early notification was one from this program, Powers said.

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