SABATTUS, Maine — A woman died in a Sabattus house fire that broke out Friday afternoon.
Crews from Sabattus, Wales, and other local towns responded to a fire on Wales Road, or Route 132, around 3 p.m. Friday.
Sabattus Fire Chief Marc A. Veilleux told NEWS CENTER Maine that a woman on the second floor of the building died in the fire.
Veilleux said there was a lot of debris in the home, which made it difficult for firefighters to reach the woman.
There was no electricity or utilities in the building, including no working smoke detectors, according to Veilleux.
The road, also known as Route 132, was closed down between Sabattus Road and Center Road, according to the Sabattus Fire Department. It reopened around 8 p.m.
The state fire marshal's office on Tuesday determined the cause of the fire was accidental in nature, Maine's Public Safety spokesperson said.
Four investigators who worked the scene into the night said the fire originated in the living room area of the home near the wood stove. They said they believe the woman was trying to light a fire in the wood stove.
A cause of death had yet to be determined.
Veilleux said no one else was in the home at the time of the fire.
According to the fire marshal's office, per the Public Safety spokesperson, the home had been without electricity or running water since 2013.
The victim was identified as 63-year-old Darlene Shores.