MOSCOW — An auction is heating up for about 1,500 acres and several large buildings that once held the Air Force’s Over-the-Horizon-Backscatter radar system.

Since the online auction opened two-and-a-half months ago, seven anonymous parties have placed bids.

As of late Monday afternoon, the highest bidder had offered $500,000 for the property.

The U.S. General Services Administration is running the auction on realestatesales.gov. The website shows that bidder No. 1 staked $500,000 on Monday, but bidder No. 4 is close behind with $490,000 placed Sunday.

The parties have to increase their bids in increments of no less than $10,000.

The lowest bid is $110,000. Others have placed bets of $200,000, $210,000, $270,000 and $340,000.

It’s not yet clear when the bidding will end, Moscow First Selectmen Donald Beane said, since the auction clock is reset for an additional 24 hours every time a higher bid is placed.

The 1,494 acres off Stream Road Extension contain three warehouse-style buildings and one garage-style building, with a total of 43,000 square feet of space.

The property once held equipment that scanned from Greenland to Cuba for approaching Soviet missiles and planes. Each warehouse building is of similar size and layout. They have overhead garage doors, large open bays, office space, storage areas and restrooms.

Erin Rhoda — 612-2368

erhoda@centralmaine.com