Ten departments fight blaze at Fort business
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
A MASSIVE FIRE raged at Lucerne Farms on the Conant Road on June 13. Ten departments sent crews, tankers and equipment to battle the blaze, which was believed to be electrical in nature. While the storage facility was destroyed, firefighters were able to save the office and production area. Here, emergency vehicles are pictured inside the main gate as they rushed to and from the scene. When necessary, tankers went to McCain Foods to fill up, creating a steady relay of trucks to and from the fire.
FORT FAIRFIELD — A Sunday morning fire, believed to be electrical in nature, caused considerable damage to Lucerne Farms’ forest feed production facility on the Conant Road.
The Fort Fairfield Fire Department responded to the report of fire at the facility around 11 a.m. June 13.
“When we arrived, the fire hadn’t spread the entire length of the business. Once on site, firefighters picked a spot and began tackling the blaze, working to prevent it from spreading,” said Chief Paul Durepo, Fort Fairfield Fire Department. “The smoke could be seen for miles.”
Durepo said nine other departments, in addition to the Fort Fairfield Fire Department, sent crews and/or equipment to assist in battling one of the biggest fires in Fort’s history.
“In addition to our crew, we had firefighters and equipment from: Ashland, Caribou, Limestone, the Maine Forest Service, Mapleton, Mars Hill, Presque Isle; as well as crews and equipment from Grand Falls and Perth-Andover, New Brunswick,” said Durepo.
The Forest Service provided a portable pump, while several communities provided tankers, shuttling water from a nearby plant throughout the day.
“McCain Foods allowed trucks to hook into their hydrant system. We had quite a relay going on all afternoon,” said Chief Darrell White, Presque Isle Fire Department.
The U.S. Border Patrol, Maine Warden Service and Fort Fairfield Police Department assisted with traffic control.
“We blocked the road to allow emergency vehicles better access and to prevent non-essential individuals from getting too close to the smoke. We weren’t sure what types of chemicals might be burning and wanted to prevent inhalation of toxic fumes,” said Officer Brady Henderson, FFPD.
Tony Levesque, Fort Fairfield code enforcement officer and tax assessor, said the structure was insured and that the main portion of the structure had a tax value of $421,200, not including contents.
Durepo said while firefighters were able to save the north end of the facility, including the office and production area, the storage area was a total loss.
“The production area — the most valuable to the business — was saved. However, the storage facility, including the bagger and mixer, was destroyed,” he said. “The company is looking at about $2 million in damage, due to loss of the building, equipment and product.”
Crews remained on site Tuesday, as debris continued to smolder.
“It’s a slow process. The fire is still smoldering, but we’ll get it after a while,” said Durepo.
Only one injury was reported as the result of the fire.
“We had one injury. A firefighter injured his shoulder,” said Durepo. “It could have been a lot worse.”
Durepo was on site Tuesday, trying to determine the cause of the blaze.
“Due to the extent of the damage, we may never know the exact cause. But we believe it may have been electrical,” said Durepo.
He said despite the heavy damage, the business was lucky in that other buildings remained unscathed.
“Because we were able to save much of the business — office and production area — they should be able to be back in service by the end of the week,” said Durepo. “Thanks to teamwork between departments, Lucerne Farms should be back online in a matter of days.”
