Toaster Malfunction Causes Fatal Fire in Maine

The State Fire Marshal’s Office says a toaster that malfunctioned sparked a fatal fire in Vassalboro on Thursday.

Public Safety Department spokesman Steve McCausland reports 26-year-old Nicholas Blaschke died in the fire at the one-story home he shared with his mother, Kathleen Cote.

Cote discovered the blaze when she returned home from work.

Maine State Police Lt. Scott Ireland, who lives nearby, pulled Blaschke from the smoke-filled house, but was unable to resuscitate him.

Ireland was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.