Staff Writer
PATTEN — Officials with the State Fire Marshal’s Office continued to investigate a fire that left seven families homeless on June 22.
Photo submitted by Jean Noyes
SMOKE AND FLAMES — The Patten Fire Department, assisted by the Houlton Fire Department, battle a blaze that destroyed this Main Street structure on Sunday, June 22. The fire completely destroyed the building and left seven families homeless.
A three-story apartment in Patten caught fire at 8 a.m. Sunday morning. Families were evacuated from the burning structure on Main Street and some were treated for smoke inhalation. Firefighters fought the blaze but were unable to save the structure. The tenants suffered a total loss of possessions.
Red Cross officials were providing aid for those families. Patten town tax records listed 16 Main Street LLC as the name of the owner. The actual name of the owner could not be identified as of Tuesday, June 24.
Although a cause for the fire is not yet known, it has not been determined to be suspicious. The Houlton Fire Department also responded to the call to provide assistance to the Patten Fire Department.
Electricity had to be shut down for the safety of the firefighters, leaving approximately 1,000 residents without power for most of the morning.
The tenants of the building were identified as Ryan and Sarah Peavey, Margaret Merry, Terry Noonan, Nicole Botting, Shauna and Danielle Chickering, Mark Merry and Karen McGraw and Russ Whitney.
The 2007 tax assessed value of the building was $108,400.
Besides apartments, the building housed an antique store and an office on the first floor, as well as an empty attic.
