Cause of Sunday fire still under investigation
Photo by Troy Nichols
AN APARTMENT FIRE on Main Street in Presque Isle early Sunday evening left about 10 tenants homeless. Firefighters spent over four hours on scene, working to prevent the fire from spreading to other apartments in the building and nearby homes and businesses. The building is located between Governor’s Restaurant and Rite Aid. No injuries were reported. The cause has yet to be determined.
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — The cause of a Sunday fire at a multi-unit apartment building on Main Street Sunday remains under investigation.
The fire, which occurred around 5 p.m. on March 24, left nearly a dozen tenants homeless.
“The fire was called in around 5:13p.m. Sunday. The blaze appears to have started in a second-story unit and spread from there,” said Captain Vince Baldwin, Presque Isle Fire Department.
Smoke detectors reportedly alerted tenants of the danger, with all getting out safely.
According to Baldwin, tenants were able to return Monday to the less seriously damaged apartments.
“The fire started upstairs in the back of the building. Three apartments upstairs sustained fire damage, while four downstairs units sustained smoke and water damage. Occupants were able to return to apartments in the front of the building, toward Main Street, by Monday afternoon,” said Baldwin.
In all, Baldwin said about 10 tenants were displaced.
“We were able to get everyone out safely, including two cats. No injuries were reported,” he said.
Investigators were on scene Monday trying to determine what caused the blaze at the rental property owned by Phil Halvorson of Presque Isle.
“The cause remains under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office,” said Baldwin.
Baldwin said the displaced tenants were being helped locally.
“The Red Cross provided aid to some, while others made arrangements with family members,” said Baldwin. Anyone needing assistance or wishing to make a donation can call the American Red Cross at 941-2903.
The PIFD received mutual aid from Caribou and Easton fire departments.
“Caribou covered the station, while Easton assisted at the fire. We had 26 firefighters from Presque Isle, with about 20 coming from the other two towns,” Baldwin said.
Crown Ambulance and the Presque Isle Police Department also assisted, with police closing Main Street briefly to allow firefighters maneuver equipment.
“Main Street was briefly shut down, with traffic re-routed so we could run hoses to the fire,” said Baldwin.
Firefighters were on scene for about four and a half hours. In addition to the building being evacuated, staff and customers at nearby businesses, including Rite Aid and Governor’s, were also evacuated as a safety precaution.
Baldwin said a number of factors worked to tenants’ and firefighters’ advantage.
“The fire took place on Sunday; had it been on Saturday, church would have been in service and traffic would have made it more difficult at that hour for emergency personnel to access the building. It was early evening, as opposed to the middle of the night, so tenants were awake. The weather was also a bit warmer, so we didn’t have to worry about lines freezing or anyone suffering from exposure,” said Baldwin. “It could have been a lot worse; everyone was lucky.”
