CORNVILLE — A quickly moving fire that sent black smoke billowing into the air Thursday afternoon destroyed a large garage and its contents at the home of Cornville First Selectman Melvin Blaisdell on Beckwith Road, also called Route 150.
Blaisdell said no one was at home when the fire started just after 1:45 p.m. about 7 miles north of Skowhegan. He said no one was hurt and that his house, about 100 feet away, was saved.
Blaisdell said he has no idea how the fire started and he had not been working in the garage Thursday. Crews from Cornville, Skowhegan, Madison and Harmony battled the blaze and assisted with taking water to fight the fire. Black smoke could be seen all the way from Skowhegan.
The 26-by-56-foot garage, with an attached lean-to, was fully engulfed in flames where the first firefighters arrived.
Blaisdell said Gary Corson, of Athens, a driver for Linkletter & Sons trucking company, was driving by and saw the smoke and fire coming out one door and alerted authorities.
“I had a four-wheeler in there and a tractor — both brand new,” Blaisdell said at the scene. He said everything was insured.
“Nobody’s hurt, these guys are fine and they’re doing a good job,” he said of firefighters.
He said the house and garage have been there for 25 years.
The air around the house and garage filled with smoke, soot and the smell of burning plastic as firefighters doused the flames.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter:@Doug_Harlow
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