Fire destroys vacant house
MASARDIS, Maine — A vacant home on the Craig Road was destroyed by fire May 6, 2015.
“We received the call on Monday around 4:15 p.m. The home has been vacant for some time and wasn’t insured. It was totally destroyed in the fire,” said Masardis Fire Chief Nelson Craig.
A total of 20 firefighters from the Masardis, Ashland and Mapleton fire departments responded to the call. No injuries were reported as a result of the blaze.
Firefighters were on scene about four hours.
“We were there until about 8:30 p.m.,” said Craig, noting he was familiar with the property. “The house used to belong to my grandparents.”
High winds hampered firefighters’ efforts, according to the chief.
“The wind made fighting the fire difficult and caused the blaze to spread to about two acres of grass and into the woods behind the home. We were able to extinguish that fire, but not before the home was destroyed,” he said.
Craig said the cause may never be known.
“Power had been disconnected to the house for a while now, but the lines were still attached. We don’t know if, due to the wind, wires somehow arced or what exactly was the cause. Since the building was destroyed, we’ll likely never know how it started,” said Craig.
