
VASSALBORO — Crews from five central Maine departments responded to a fire that caused an hourslong closure of portions of Main Street Saturday.
Vassalboro Fire Department crews were dispatched to 593 Main St. at about 11:15 a.m., where they found an already-engulfed garage, Fire Chief Walker Thompson said. He said the garage was about 30 feet from a two-story farmhouse on the same lot, which did not sustain serious damage.
No injuries were reported, but the still-standing brick garage was “gutted,” Thompson said. “When we pulled up, the garage was fully involved — it already had a head start,” Thompson said. “At that point in time, we went into defensive operations to protect the house. Crews did a great job at protecting the house. The house only sustained melted siding on the outside.”
Crews had the fire under control at about 11:45 a.m., but continued to battle hotspots until about 2:30 p.m., when the scene was cleared, Thompson said. Initial investigation has left the cause of the fire as “undetermined” because of the extent of the damage, Thompson said.
Main Street was closed and traffic was detoured between Bog Road and Lombard Dam Road for several hours while the scene was active, but has since reopened.
Personnel from the Augusta, Waterville, Winslow and China fire departments, along with Central Maine Power and Delta Ambulance responded to the scene with Vassalboro Fire Department crews. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection also responded to the scene to monitor the nearby Outlet Stream.
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