PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Firefighters were kept busy in the Star City Monday night and into Tuesday morning as a result of fires at three separate locations, as temperatures dipped well below zero throughout the night.
The first call came in mid-evening involving a State Street residence.
“The Presque Isle Fire Department responded to a reported chimney fire at 242 State St. at 7:35 p.m. A total of 13 firefighters were on scene working in sub-zero temperatures on a stubborn flue fire until 9 p.m.,” said Deputy Chief Adam Rider, PIFD. The home is owned by Timothy J. Belden.
There were no reported injuries and no significant damage was caused to the home.
“The cause of the fire was excess buildup of creosote in the chimney and improper cleaning around the stove pipe,” said Rider.
As crews were preparing to leave the scene around 9:04 p.m., they were dispatched to their next call.
“We were called to 9 Second St. for a reported structure fire. On arrival, firefighters found a fire on the first floor that was rapidly spreading to the second story,” said Rider.
According to Rider, crews made a “fast attack and knocked the fire down, then spent time trying to dig out the remaining fire and salvaging the rest of the home.”
“Presque Isle had 19 firefighters respond to the call and received mutual aid from Mapleton for an engine and a crew of five firefighters and Caribou sent an engine and a crew of eight firefighters,” he said.
The apartment building is owned by Winnie Zeng.
Rider said tenants of one of the building’s three apartments were displaced as a result of the fire.
“Damage to apartment 1 was extensive, forcing the three residents to seek shelter with family/friends. The other two apartments were saved due to firefighters’ fast attack of the blaze,” said Rider.
Crown Ambulance and Maine Public Service also assisted at the scene.
Crews remained at the structure until 11:55 p.m.
“The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time. There was one minor injury to a firefighter when a hydrant malfunctioned. No other injuries were reported,” said Rider.
Firefighters had no sooner cleared the Second Street fire when a third report of a fire was called in — this time on Montgomery Street.
“The crews had just finished putting the equipment back in service when they were dispatched to another reported chimney fire at 12:04 p.m., located at 3 Montgomery St. On arrival, they quickly determined that the fire had extended into the house and turned into a structure fire,” said Rider.
Rider said crews went to work extinguishing the fire in sub-zero temperatures.
“However, this time they were hampered by wet gear and equipment that was freezing up,” Rider said.
The home is owned by Ronald Wing.
“Wing was the only one living at the Montgomery Street residence. He was able to make arrangements to stay with family/friends,” said Rider. “The home is considered a total loss.”
Mutual aid was received from Easton with an engine and a crew of 10 at the scene, while Fort Fairfield sent an engine and crew of three firefighters to cover the station in case any other calls came in. The PIFD had a crew of 18 firefighters working the blaze.
“There were no reported injuries. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time,” said Rider.
Crews finished at the Montgomery Street fire at 2:45 a.m. and stayed at the station cleaning and thawing equipment until 4 a.m.
“I want to remind everyone to make sure you have a working smoke detector/alarm. Be sure to have a plan in place in the event of a fire. And this time of year, be sure to keep fire escapes and exit routes shoveled out and accessible,” said Rider.
