Crews from five towns battle Plymouth house fire

PLYMOUTH, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Crews from Plymouth, Newport, Detroit, Etna, Dixmont and Carmel fought to get the fire under control.

Fire officials say a passerby called in the fire at a home on Lower Detroit road around 7:30 Friday morning.

Assistant fire chief Arrin Farrar says the freezing temperatures created a whole host of problems as they fought this fire.

One of their pumper trucks froze, and they had to spread sand on the roadway because the water from the hoses created a slippery sheet of ice.  The weather also made it hard to communicate.

"Cold weather means a lot of problems for our radios. The batteries tend to go dead on you, so that disrupts communcation, and communication is usually key on any fire ground," Farrar said.

The State Fire Marshal's office is investigating the cause, and the Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting the family.