At 3 am Tuesday, August 12th, a fire broke out in the home of my 93-year-old grandmother, Pearl Skillin, on Bath Rd. in Wiscasset. By chance, a man was filling the fuel for Irving when he saw the flames on the back side of the house. As he informed the clerk inside, who knew my grandmother, he told him she was inside. He ran next door, broke down the front door, found my grandmother sleeping, and rescued her. The flames quickly engulfed the house, leaving her with nothing. She not only lost her two beloved cats to the fire, she has lost the only life she has known—she has lived on the property since it was her father’s. My deceased grandfather, Erwin Skillin, built the house that is now gone in 1956.

We are not yet sure where she will live. In an unfamiliar place, she cannot live alone. Any donation amount will help, as she has lost everything. She needs to buy glasses, hearing aids, medicine, and clothes. She may need a few month’s rent for assisted living.

We are all devastated and heartbroken for her loss at this point in her life. Thank you so much for reading. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

—Courtney (Lewis) Cheng