CARIBOU, Maine — Caribou Fire Department was assisted by firefighters from Van Buren, Fort Fairfield, Limestone, Presque Isle and Stockholm while fighting a barn fire on 2294 Van Buren Road in Connor Monday afternoon.
According to Scott Jackson, Captain of CFD’s Crew No. 2, the department first received the call about the fire at 1:30 p.m. on April 17. CFD spent six hours fighting the fire, and all responding departments used a combined total of 163,000 gallons of water.
Jackson said the outside assistance was a big help.
“Whenever you deal with a fire in a rural area, it’s hard because you don’t have enough water right off,” Jackson said. “The first 20 minutes were rough, but when the other departments showed up we had all kinds of water, making it much easier.”
The fire caused roughly $50,000 worth of damage with no reported injuries. According to CFD Chief Scott Susi, the homeowner, Alfred Gendreau, was insured. Crews were also able to save an adjoining home.
According to Jackson, the report states the fire was caused by an electrical short.
