MAPLETON, Maine – A Sunday morning fire destroyed a potato house on the State Road owned by the Darrell Chandler family.
The Mapleton Fire Department received a call from a passerby at approximately 9:30 a.m. Upon arrival, they found the structure fully involved. High winds, cold weather and water problems hampered the firefighters’ ability to fight the fire.
“The cold and wind made fighting the fire difficult. We had some initial water problems at the scene and had to send tankers to refill several times in Washburn and Presque Isle,” said Geoffrey Skidgell, captain of the Mapleton Fire Department.
Heavy smoke could be seen for miles, as the wind lifted it skyward, blocking out the sun and reducing air quality in the area for a time.
“An elderly resident – Forest Chandler – who’s in his 90s was in the house when the fire broke out. When we arrived on the scene we got him out of the area,” said Skidgell. “We contacted the DEP for assistance to determine the air quality.”
The storage facility, located next to the snowmobile/ATV trail, was reportedly empty except for some light farm equipment.
“There were no tractors, trucks or potatoes in the building, but there were things like conveyors and other equipment inside,” said Skidgell.
Soon after arriving on scene the decision was made to contact other fire departments for assistance.
“We received assistance from several fire departments in the area, including: Presque Isle, Easton, Ashland and Washburn. And Caribou came over to cover Washburn’s base while Washburn assisted at the scene,” said Skidgell.
Firefighters struggled to keep warm, when gear became coated with ice as spray from hoses blew back on them. Coffee and food were provided to the crews throughout the day.
“An anonymous couple – husband and wife I know who didn’t want their names given – came by with five boxes of coffee for us around noon. The crews really appreciated it. Things like that really help, especially on cold days,” said Ned LaBelle, fire chief of the Ashland Fire Department.
Pizza and hotdogs were served while firefighters tackled the blaze.
“Several pizzas were brought to us. By the time I went for a piece, they were gone. I did get to enjoy a hotdog though. It’s nice when folks do things like that,” said Skidgell, noting that in a firefighter’s line of work you can’t stop for dinner or run back to the station for coffee, so donations are very much appreciated.
The Maine State Police were on the scene early, controlling traffic. A DOT truck blocked the road at a nearby intersection, with traffic detoured onto the Boone Road until later in the day.
“We contacted the Maine State Police for traffic control, because of the smoke reducing visibility and because we had to run hoses across the road,” said Skidgell.
A Maine Public Service crew cut power to the storage unit and surrounding buildings for a couple hours.
“Maine Public was called to disconnect power to the complex. A crew reconnected service to the houses in the area later in the day, to restore heat to the homes,” said Skidgell.
Crews were on the scene from approximately 9:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Only one injury was reported.
“One firefighter was taken to The Aroostook Medical Center for treatment of smoke inhalation, treated and released,” said Skidgell.
The facility, which was insured, was totally destroyed. Fire crews were able to save surrounding buildings.
“We had some LP gas tanks explode and were concerned about a nearby grain unit but were able to prevent the fire from spreading to the grain facility, houses and other buildings. It took thousands of gallons of water to bring the fire under control,” said Skidgell. “We had approximately 50 firefighters from five departments on scene for the better part of the day.”
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
“The fire is still under investigation. Right now, it’s still too dangerous to enter the site to investigate. It’s in the hands of the insurance company at this time,” said Skidgell.
