Firefighters battled a four-alarm blaze on Atlantic Avenue at Wells Beach on June 14, and by the time the fire was knocked down, the home near 149 Atlantic Ave. appeared to be a total loss. Abutting properties also sustained fire damage.

Wells firefighters were called to the structure fire and found the home fully engulfed when they arrived. With strong winds pushing concern that the flames could reach nearby homes, multiple departments rushed in to help contain the fire and keep it from spreading farther along Atlantic Avenue.

That mattered immediately because the Wells Police Department closed Atlantic Avenue at 6 p.m. while the scene remained active, turning a beach road into an emergency zone. The department later said the quick and precise work of Wells Maine Fire Department, Wells Communications and other mutual aid agencies was amazing to witness, crediting them with saving numerous surrounding structures while bringing the main fire under control.

The part that did not fit the easy version of the story is the damage that remained after the flames were out. The Wells Police Department said nearby structures were saved, but it also said abutting properties were damaged, which means the stop did not come before the fire had already reached the edges of the neighborhood. That is the difference between a close call and a disaster averted.

By just after midnight, the Kennebunk Fire Department called it a devastating fire and said firefighters from numerous communities worked seamlessly together to keep it from destroying more homes. The Fire Department had not yet released additional details, including what caused the blaze, leaving the final unanswered question focused on the same home that drew the first alarm: how a fire this fast, in this wind, found so much fuel before crews got there.