CARIBOU, Maine — The fire that engulfed a structure at 41 Water Street on Sunday has been deemed suspicious, and officials are hoping the community will come forward with information as to how the fire started.
Caribou firefighters were alerted to the scene after a woman walked into their lobby and stated a building near them had smoke coming out of it.
Caribou Fire Chief Scott Susi said on Tuesday that when firefighters arrived at the structure, its second floor was fully engulfed in flames. The firefighters were not allowed to enter the building, which had previously been deemed structurally unsound, but they did a quick scan to ensure no one was inside.
With the building’s proximity to other structures and its situation amidst large trees, the firefighters worked diligently prevent the fire from spreading — it took five hours battling the flames, but the firefighters kept the destruction contained to the one dangerous structure.
“The big battle was the trees,” Susi described. “A building that large, with all the trees that were around it, the biggest fight was keeping the fire on the building and not allowing it to spread in the trees.”
The warm, summer season also made fighting the flames difficult.
Circumstances surrounding the fire have led authorities to deem the fire suspicious, and they are asking the community to come forward with information they might have.
Those with information are asked to contact the Caribou Police Department at 493-3301 or the State Fire Marshal’s Office at 1-888-870-6162.
