Lawn mower backfires - Sets house on fire

Maine - A house owned by a local high school teacher was significantly damaged Tuesday after a fire broke out in the basement while a 16-year-old boy, Lucas Ashmore (Picture),was trying to start a riding lawn mower. Craig Bowden, chief of the local fire department, said Tuesday that the lawn mower backfired in the basement as the boy, who does not live at the home, was trying to get it started a few minutes before 1 p.m. As the fire spread, the boy went outside, closing the basement door behind him, and then quickly walked around the house to the front door and back inside to make sure all the doors and windows upstairs were closed before going back outside again, the fire chief said. The boy told firefighters who arrived at the house a few minutes later that he did this to help deprive the fire of oxygen. The fire chief said the teen`s actions seemed to have the desired effect and limited the spread of the fire. More