This story has been updated.
FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — A residential building in Fort Fairfield was considered a total loss after the building caught fire on Monday.
At approximately 11:53 a.m. Feb. 28, the Fort Fairfield Fire and Rescue department received a call about a structure fire in the area of 9 Arch Street. Crews arrived on the scene to find flames shooting through the roof and exterior wall of 32 Brookview Ave.
Firefighters attempted to enter the building, but structural damage to the floors had already occurred. Crews transitioned to fighting the flames from the outside, containing the fire.
Eighteen firefighters worked to extinguish the flames, staying until 6:30 p.m. to ensure the fire between the multiple roofs of the structure had been fully extinguished.
One firefighter was transported to Cary Medical Center in Caribou for dehydration and smoke inhalation, and has since been released.
It is not known who owned the building. Although nobody was indoors when the blaze broke out, the owner’s cat perished in the fire. The building was insured.
Assisting Fort Fairfield were fire departments from Caribou, Limestone and Easton. Presque Isle provided emergency coverage for the town.
Due to extreme heat and extensive water damage, the building has been considered a total loss, and the cause is under investigation.
