A controversial Caribou home is a total loss after a fire early Sunday morning.
Only rubble remained of the house at 15 Prospect St. that afternoon.
Firefighters responded around 5:30 a.m. to the two-story residence, where they found fire shooting from the second floor in the back of the house, said Scott Michaud, a firefighter and paramedic with Caribou Fire and Ambulance.
Property owner John Barretto told crews everyone was out of the home and safe, Michaud said.
One person was transported to Cary Medical Center with burns on an arm, and was treated and released, Michaud said.
Crews from Caribou, Presque Isle, Limestone and Fort Fairfield fought the blaze for approximately five hours, pouring about 200,000 gallons of water onto the flames, Michaud said.
Though the building hasn’t had power for some time, utility crews came to make sure the site was safe, he said.
An excavator tore down parts of the house so fire crews could reach all areas burning, according to Michaud.
The residence has drawn attention and complaints because some alleged it was a “drug house,” where people either obtained or used illicit drugs. Barretto claimed several times he was offering shelter to people who had nowhere else to live.
The building failed code inspections over the years and Caribou officials in May sued Barretto for allegedly failing to address safety violations.
The Maine fire marshal’s office is investigating the blaze, according to a notice posted at the property.
