CHINA — A garage with tools and equipment for repairing vehicles was destroyed by fire Tuesday, but firefighters were able to save a nearby home.
The Waterville Communications Center got the call about the fire at 428 Pleasant View Ridge Road at 6:17 a.m. and was notified at 11:50 a.m. that it had reignited, according to a dispatcher.
The fire also damaged at least three vehicles that were parked outside the garage, according to Weeks Mills fire Chief Bill Van Wickler, who responded to the blaze.
The town has three fire departments: the China Village Fire Department, Weeks Mills Fire Department and South China Fire Department, and all responded, Van Wickler said. He said the China Village department was the primary investigator and the Office of Maine State Fire Marshal responded at the request of that department’s chief, Joel Nelson.
Calls placed to Nelson, China Village’s deputy chief, Tim Theriault, and South China’s chief, Richard Morse, were not immediately returned Tuesday.
Van Wickler said he did not know the name of the homeowner and he wasn’t sure if the garage was a commercial operation or a hobby business. Albion firefighters also responded to the scene, he said.
“There was total loss in my opinion,” Van Wickler said. “There’s no structure standing. Some vehicles were damaged. There was minimal damage to the house.”
He said no one was injured and no pets were involved in the fire, as far as he knew. He didn’t know if the garage was insured.
Pleasant View Ridge Road starts at the intersection of U.S. Route 202 and Causeway Road at the head of China Lake and extends to a fork in the road leading to Parmenter Hill Road and Mann Road.
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