Two Seacoast region towns say solicitation for a fundraiser called "Citizens Behind the Badge" is a scam, and does not benefit their respective departments.
Merrimac Police Chief Eric M. Shears said the 65-year-old woman received a warning about a scam alert and was instructed to call a specific phone number.
The fire started around 7:30 a.m. at the two-story house on Church Street, as arriving firefighters in below freezing temperatures found fire hydrants frozen.
Former Amesbury and Merrimac resident Deanna MacEachern was headed to the Gulf Coast on Sunday afternoon with Jim Larson of Maine in one of two disaster relief vans.