KITTERY, Maine – A resident and pet escaped safely from a home fire at 75 Picott Road Sunday morning that drew a response from firefighters in multiple communities.
Craig Alfis, assistant Kittery fire chief, said the home was left uninhabitable and the cause of the fire was under investigation.
Alfis said the home was occupied by a renter. He said there were no injuries to the renter, to the pet, nor to firefighters. I think the homeowner called it in as a woodstove fire,” Alfis said. “There is a wood stove there, but the main electric lines come in at that location, too, so there are a couple of potential causes for the fire. When the first crew arrived, it was upgraded from a stove fire to a structure fire as there was fire showing at the side of the house. We went to a second alarm to get more mutual aid manpower in here.”
Kittery short-term rentals must be licensed – or face fines [Portsmouth Herald, N.H.]
Dec. 31 KITTERY, Maine All short-term rentals currently operating in Kittery must be licensed with the town by midnight on Dec. 31, or will face a $250 fine per day.
Per the town’s new ordinance approved this year to regulate and monitor short-term rentals, the number of properties that register by the end of the year will be the starting cap for the number of licenses to be allowed in town. The cap will then increase by 8% each of the next two years.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Town Manager Kendra Amaral said the town has 76 licenses already issued or in process. If the number of licenses remains at 76, for example, an 8% increase would allow for six additional licenses next year.