OTISFIELD — Several funds have been set up to assist the Paine family who were recently burned out of their home.

Selectmen said at their Wednesday night meeting they would like to set up a site on the town’s webpage with information about local people in need of help, such as the Paines and several other recent fire victims. This is the third time in recent weeks that an Otisfield resident has needed immediate help, they noted.

“We need to bridge that gap,” Board of Selectmen Chairman Hal Ferguson said of the time between the event and when a homeowner receives an insurance check. “(Fire victims) are already emotionally wrought. They don’t need to worry about how their going to put food on the table.”

The Otisfield Fire Department was called to the home of Brad and Vicky Paine around 2:20 a.m. Feb. 14 on Bolsters Mills Road, where they found the home fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters from Harrison, Oxford, Norway, Paris, Waterford, Casco, Bridgeton, Poland and Raymond were called in for assistance.

The homeowners were able to escape safely to a neighbor’s house. Family members said the couple lost everything they owned, including furniture, clothes, vehicles, identification and glasses.

Board members said a gofundme, (http://www.gofundme.com/mfdz9w) a fundraising website, has been established by family and friends of the Paines. So far, the gofundme site has raised more than $4,000. Anyone who would like to donate without going online can write a check to the Paine family care of the town of Otisfield. The check should be sent to the town office at 402 State Route 121, Otisfield, ME 04270.

Fire Chief Kyle Jordan told selectmen Wednesday night that the fire was difficult to fight because of the below zero temperature and other factors. “We made the best of a very tough situation,” he told the Board of Selectmen. “Something like that, we rely on mutual aid.”

It was 12 below by 5 a.m. and the temperature probably was lower at the time of of the call, Jordan said, noting there were some equipment issues caused by the cold. Firefighters had to chop through the ice to get water from a nearby river that was used in fighting the fire.

Jordan said the owner of the Bolsters Mills store opened the shop early to offer hot coffee.

Jordan said communication with Oxford County dispatch was good primarily because of the repeater on top of Frost Hill in Norway. Norway fire Chief Dennis Yates worked out an agreement with Otisfield to put a repeater on Norway’s tower on Frost Hill after plans to build a cellphone tower on Scribner Hill fell through.

Otisfield has limited cellphone communication, which has been an ongoing problems for residents and rescue workers.

“It’s worth every penny,” Selectman Rick Mickon said of the repeater.

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