The cause of a fire that destroyed a seasonal residence Wednesday morning in Anson is being investigated by the state fire marshal.

The fire at 394 Pease Hill Road was reported at 6:03 a.m. Wednesday. Firefighters from Anson, Madison, Norridgewock, Skowhegan and Athens responded to the alarm.

Sgt. Ken Grimes of the state fire marshal’s office speaks with another investigator outside a home on Pease Hill Road in Anson that was destroyed by fire early Wednesday morning. Staff photo by David Leaming

In a phone interview around noon Wednesday, Anson Fire Chief Jeremy Manzer said investigators were at the scene and treating the fire as an arson.

The house was unoccupied and firefighters had to bring in a bucket loader to help clear the driveway, which had not been plowed, Manzer said. The residence was a stick-built full size family house with a garage, he added.

He did not know who the residence’s owner is.

In a phone interview later Wednesday from the scene, Sgt. Ken Grimes from the Office of the State Fire Marshal said investigators were still looking into the blaze and could not say conclusively if it was intentionally set.

“We don’t know for sure until we get the to very end of our investigation,” Grimes said.

“With power to the building and all, it is something we can’t jump into and classify as suspicious or accidental,” he said.

Investigators think the fire started in the garage, where a family vehicle and a tractor were parked, before spreading to the rest of the house, Grimes said. He did not know the homeowners’ names but said it was a couple who spend winters in Florida.

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