BRIDGEWATER, Maine — A week after the Bridgewater Fire Department was called to put out a fire at a former house that was under demolition, the Maine Forest Service said the fire appeared to have been lit intentionally.
Jim Britt — a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, which contains the Maine Forest Service — said the investigation is not complete and there are currently no suspects.
“Maine Forest Service welcomes all help from the public on this matter,” Britt said. “The fire appears to be incendiary.”
While the fire caused negligible property damage, as well as minor damage to the forest, the results could have been far more severe had firefighters not gotten to it in time. It would not be the first high-profile arson case in The County. In the past year, there have been cases in Fort Fairfield, near Westfield and St. Francis.
The fire occurred at 304 Packard Road in a secluded, forested section of Bridgewater. It did not cause any known injuries. Bridgewater Fire Captain Lucas Bradstreet said his department first received a report of the flames at around 9:02 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
Bradstreet said he and other firefighters arrived to find flames coming from the rubble. The Maine Forest Service said the structure was “mostly torn down” at the time of the fire. Still, it took firefighters from Bridgewater, Monticello and Mars Hill two hours to put out the flames, and smoke was still heavy at the scene on Thursday morning.
Maine Forest Service Ranger Steve Wipperman, the service’s forensics specialist, was seen collecting evidence on Thursday.
According to multiple online listings, the house was sold in late 2019. The town of Bridgewater did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the process by which the building came under demolition.
