COPLIN PLANTATION — Steve Clark is thankful no one was hurt late Monday night when a fire destroyed the home he and another couple and a baby were staying in at Hedgehog Village.

“Nobody got hurt. We didn’t get hurt. The firefighters didn’t get hurt,“ Clark said.

A chimney fire spread into the walls of the two-story camp.

Once Clark and Dennis and Niki Sanborn realized the chimney fire had spread into the house they grabbed what they could and got out, Clark said.

The Sanborns and their 9-month-old son went to their car, and Clark said he eventually went to his to stay warm.

Firefighters from several towns, including Eustis, fought the blaze in 19-below-zero temperatures.

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They are all staying at the Stratton Plaza hotel for now, he said. Clark has lived in the area for about 10 years. The Sanborns, who are from Maine, are seasonal residents in northern Franklin County.

People have been very generous in helping them out, Clark, a part-time cook at the plaza, said.

He has shed more tears over the generosity than the loss of his belongings, he said.

“It is overwhelming. It is overwhelming,” he said

The community, including the Eustis area, has rallied around the families to try and help them out.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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