A Prominent Plymouth Home Destroyed By Fire

(Tuesday, April 18) The flames shooting from the roof of 200 Main Street could be seen for miles late Tuesday afternoon. And they drew a crowd of stunned onlookers who sat across the street in awe. "This is a shame. I loved that house. Everytime I came down Main Street I admired it. It was beautiful," said Joan Thomas, a neighbor. Armed with a hose at full blast, nearly 80 firefighters worked feverishly to stop the fire from spreading to nearby homes. The converted apartment building was home to 8 people who are staying elsewhere tonight. Everyone got out OK and that may be because of one very brave 18 year old who first noticed the flames. "I ran around the back and I ran in the back door and they runnning around and i said there was a fire. I said you have to get out. I helped them bring the dogs out and they sat in my mom`s shop," said Karie Yefko. It wasn`t until around seven that firefighters managed to extinguish the embers. An investigation revealed the likely cause; burning leaves. "What happened is it crawled up the side of the structure, got into the eaves and right into the attic. And then there was nothing we could do," said Bill Evans. Firefighters say the quick moving blaze is typical of a home this old. They say with no firewalls, once the flames spark, it`s a mad dash before the entire building is consumed.