JACKMAN — A fire that displaced 11 people on Saturday night was likely electric in nature, but because of the damage, the exact cause will likely never be known.

According to the Moose River Fire Chief Bill Jarvis, the fire started on the second floor of a four-unit apartment building on Main Street. The second floor apartments’ residents, Zack Masterson-Fox and Latisha Brown, had been out for almost an hour. When they returned and opened the door, smoke billowed out. Masterson-Fox went in to the apartment and found fire burning in a wall near an electrical outlet. He left the apartment and called 911 while Brown went to the other apartments to tell the residents about the fire.

Jarvis said the exact cause will probably never be determined. The fire was reported just after 10 p.m. Saturday and didn’t clear the scene until nearly 6 a.m. on Sunday.

Of the 11 residents in the building, seven were adults and four were children, including a 3-month-old infant. One person was treated for smoke inhalation, but there were no other injuries.

The two apartments on the first floor sustained water damage. The apartments on the second and third floor were destroyed, and Jarvis said the building is considered a total loss.

Firefighters from the Jackman-based Moose River Fire & Rescue Department received mutual aid from Rockwood Fire & Rescue Department, the West Forks Volunteer Fire Department, the Bingham Fire Department, and the Solon Fire Department. There were 22 firefighters on scene. Moose River Fire & Rescue Department’s ambulance service division sent one ambulance and three paramedics.

A deputy with the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office and an agent with the U.S. Border Patrol provided traffic control during the fire. Main Street was closed for several hours during the fire. Moose River Lumber Company provided a crane to pull down the burning walls on the second and third floor so firefighters to extinguish the flames. Jarvis said due to the damage, many parts of the building were unstable, so it was not safe to put firefighters throughout the building.

The American Red Cross sent two members to help provide aid to those displaced.

Colin Ellis — 861-9253

cellis@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @colinoellis

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