BUCKSPORT — A River Road home was damaged by fire April 23, and a fire official said the dryer is the likely cause.

Bucksport Fire Chief Craig Bowden said Ralph Norwood arrived home Tuesday afternoon to find his house at 1224 River Road full of smoke.

When firefighters arrived, Bowden said, there was heavy smoke coming mostly from the basement. Firefighters entered the structure through a ground-level rear entrance, found the fire in the area of the dryer, and had the flames extinguished within several minutes.

The fire had held itself in check to some degree, Bowden said, because it melted some of the PVC water pipes, which in turn “kind of acted like a sprinkler system.”

Bowden said the fire caused heavy plumbing and electrical damage in the basement, as well as some minor structural damage. The upper two floors had smoke damage. He estimated the total amount of damage to be $25,000.

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