Fire burns down Peru home and spreads to woods

A fire Thursday afternoon at 99 Mt. Zircon Road in Peru destroyed this house and spread to the nearby woods. Rumford Falls Times photo by Marianne Hutchinson Rumford Falls Times photo by Marianne Hutchinson

PERU — A fire at 99 Mt. Zircon Road in Peru leveled a house Thursday afternoon, with flames spreading to the property’s wooded lot.

Firefighters lug hoses Thursday afternoon into the woods to battle flames that had spread from a house fire at 99 Mt. Zircon Road in Peru. Rumford Falls Times photo by Marianne Hutchinson

Rumford Fire Chief Chris Reed said the call came in at about 1 p.m.

As of 2:30 p.m., Reed said he did not know the fire’s cause but believed the house was unoccupied when the blaze started.

“The propane tank (at the house) is the real concern,” Reed said.

The propane tank was leaking as firefighters worked to keep the tank cool.

As firefighters battled the house fire, a “runoff fire” a couple of hundred yards away ignited the woods. Dozens of firefighters worked to extinguish flames that had spread to an area measuring about 4 acres, Reed said.

Peru Fire Chief Bill Hussey said firefighters from Rumford, Mexico, Dixfield, Canton, Roxbury and Andover helped battle the fires.

Town Tax Collector Debbie Coudrain said Ralph Savy sold the house recently, but the town’s records have not been updated with who now owns the property.

Representatives of the State Fire Marshal’s Office and Maine Forest Service were called in to assess the scene.