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Gray firefighters extinguished a fire at Maine Wildlife Park on Thursday. (Courtesy of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife)

A fire broke out at Maine Wildlife Park in Gray Thursday night, but was quickly contained by the Gray Fire Department, with no people or animals harmed.

At approximately 11:30 p.m. Thursday, a park employee who lives on the grounds heard an explosion and reported a fire broke out in one of the buildings, according to a press release from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, which owns the wildlife park. The fire department responded and kept the fire from spreading into the attached buildings.

The fire occurred in the park’s workshop, located in a series of older buildings behind the park. The building is used to store tools and equipment and serves as a workspace for staff projects related to infrastructure and maintenance.

Gray Public Safety Director Kurt Elkanich told the Press Herald the fire was contained to the one building, and had not affected any of the animals at the park.

The building, however, was totally destroyed.

Elkanich said the fire marshal’s office was investigating. Investigators said the cause appeared to be accidental, and many have been the result of electrical malfunction

Mark Latti, director of communications for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said the park would be able to function as it always has, but that it will take time to replace some of the tools lost in the fire.

The department will wait until the fire marshal’s investigation is concluded, he said, and determine a course of action after an inspection of the site.

The wildlife park, which helps care for animals that are unable to survive in the wild, was closed for the season at the time of the fire.

Rory, an experienced reporter from western Massachusetts, joined the Maine Trust for Local News in October 2024. He is a community reporter for Windham, Raymond, Casco, Bridgton, Naples, Standish, Gray,...

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