A property fire at Lowells Cove in the town of Harpswell, Maine, destroyed several classic cars at approximately 4:50 p.m. Dec. 28, according to the Press Herald.
The fire started in a vehicle parked outside the home before spreading to the garage and the main property, according to NECN. It took firefighters all afternoon and well into the evening to calm the blaze.
The Brunswick Fire Department responded to the call, alongside all three of the village's fire departments - Orr's & Bailey Islands, Harpswell Neck and Cundy's Harbor, according to reports by the Sun Journal.
Neighbors told local television reporters that the source of the fire appeared to be a car that was parked outside the garage, according to the Press Herald. They also reported that the homeowners were fans of classic cars and were known to store them in the garage.
Orr's & Bailey Islands Interim Fire Chief Bill Beazley referred to the house as "unlivable" but reported that while the main house was heavily smoke damaged, the structure was relatively unharmed as a result of the firefighters' work, according to the Forecaster.
"We were very fortunate to be able to stop the fire basically at the juncture of the garage and the main house," Beazley said, according to the Forecaster.
Beazley also reported that at least three collectible antique cars were destroyed in the fire but that he didn't know the monetary value of the loss or the initial reason for the car catching fire, according to the Forecaster.
The owners of the house are reported to be Arnold and Nancy Bennett, who did not sustain any injuries in the blaze and have since been moved to a motel, according to the Times Record.
Beazley told reporters that while membership of the fire department is down at the moment, new members who joined in December were put to the test for the first time while battling the blaze, according to the Times Record.
