MADISON — Thousands of dollars’ worth of lumber and equipment were lost Thursday night in a fire that destroyed a lumber yard at Campbell’s True Value Building Supply on Main Street, according to the Madison Fire Chief and the business’s owner.

The fire originally was reported as a vehicle fire at 5:17 p.m. and is believed to have originated in a flatbed truck inside the warehouse, said Madison Fire Chief Shawn Howard.

“It’s been an unfortunate event, but it doesn’t put us out of business,” said Brent Burger, the owner of Campbell’s True Value Building Supply.

The building, estimated to be worth about $60,000, and truck and other equipment, estimated to be worth around $120,000, make up the bulk of the loss, Burger said. No injuries were reported in the fire. About 20 percent of the store’s inventory of kiln-dried lumber also was lost.

“We were closing and I suspect — I’m not sure they will be able to determine what happened — but I think it was an engine block heater,” Burger said.

There are several buildings at the Campbell’s facility, but the fire was limited to a single warehouse containing the truck and a large quantity of lumber in the back of the facility.

Advertisement

“Luckily, crews were able to contain the fire to one building and it didn’t spread to others,” Howard said. “Our ability to contain the blaze was really thanks to mutual aid from other departments. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

A propane truck also was in the warehouse when the fire broke out, but workers were able to move that vehicle before the fire spread.

“The workers who were here reported the fire and did the right thing,” said Howard. “They were here when the fire initially started and were very shocked to see smoke.”

Campbell’s plans to be open for business as usual Friday, Burger said. “It’s not a small amount of money, but it mostly amounts to an inconvenience,” he said. “I certainly appreciate the efforts of the Fire Department. There was no damage to the two adjacent buildings, which I think is a testament to fire management. Those guys did a phenomenal job.”

Firefighters from Anson, New Portland, Norridgewock and Skowhegan assisted Madison at the scene. The state fire marshal’s office will be investigating the cause Friday. No foul play is suspected, Howard said.

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368

rohm@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @rachel_ohm


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.