SCARBOROUGH — Investigators said the cause of a Nov. 9 fire on Prout’s Neck that injured two people cannot be determined because of extensive damage to the home.

Sgt. Joel Davis of the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office also said the cause of a blaze that destroyed a vacant home at 38 Westwood Road at about the same time is still under investigation.

On Prout’s Neck, two elderly residents were injured when they jumped from a burning home home at 29 Winslow Homer Road. Firefighters arrived at the fire at approximately 5:41 a.m., but the large home was already engulfed in flames, Scarborough Fire Chief Michael Thurlow said.

“Our initial actions were to assist the homeowners with their injuries and take care of them,” he said.

Both occupants, who escaped through a second-story window, were transported to Maine Medical Center with injuries that weren’t life threatening.

Crews worked amid windy conditions to keep the three-alarm fire from spreading to two nearby buildings.

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The home, one of several buildings on the property, is owned by Kenyon Bolton III, according to Scarborough assessing records. The home’s assessed value is $4.2 million.

Just after Thurlow called for mutual aid to assist in extinguishing that fire, a second fire was reported on Westwood Road. That blaze had been burning for some time before it was reported at 6:09 a.m., Thurlow said.

Investigators from the state fire marshal’s office responded because injuries were reported, both homes were destroyed, and a pair of fires at the same time was suspicious.

“Two simultaneous fires certainly makes you wonder. It’s kind of a coincidence. It doesn’t happen very often,” Thurlow said. No firefighters were injured he added.

Thurlow praised area firefighters from Cape Elizabeth, South Portland, Portland, Westbrook, Gorham, Saco, Buxton and Old Orchard for assisting.

David Harry of The Forecaster contributed to this report.

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The cause of a Nov. 9 fire at this vacant home at 38 Westwood Road in Scarborough remains under investigation. The blaze was the second reported within 30 minutes. In the other blaze, two Prout’s Neck residents were injured when they escaped a fire at 29 Winslow Homer Road.


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