By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
EASTON, Maine — A wood stove is believed to be the cause of a fire Sunday that destroyed a building on the Ladner Road which was currently being used by the Amish as a wood shop.
“We received the call around 12:30 p.m. on March 2 of a structure fire at 430 Ladner Road — a River de Chute property owned by Dr. Warren Sims. Upon arrival we found the building fully engulfed in flames,” said Chief Kim White, of the Easton Fire Department.
White said a wood stove was believed to be the cause of the fire.
“The building was being used by Sam Gingerich, where Amish furniture was made. He’d loaded the stove before going to church. We believe the woodstove overheated, causing the blaze. The property is in an isolated area. The fire was well underway by the time anyone noticed it and reported it,” said White.
White did not have an estimate on the value of the property.
“The owner may have had insurance on the building itself. The Amish lost several thousand dollars worth of equipment. The fire had gone through the roof before anyone found it. The structure’s a total loss,” White said.
The chief said crews were on scene for three hours working to bring the fire under control.
“We had mutual aid from the Mars Hill Fire Department, which brought a tanker and a crew. We had 21 firefighters working to control the blaze,” said White.
No injuries were reported as a result of the fire.
White said this was the first structure fire his department has responded to in nearly a year.
“The last structure fire we were called to was last May. But the last week’s been busy. We’ve responded to four calls over the last week, none of which were serious until Sunday’s,” said White. “I’m hoping this is the end of the calls for a while.”
