Staff photo/Andrew BirdenMONTICELLO — A two-story building that once served as an antiques store on U.S. Route 1 was destroyed by fire Thursday morning.
Traffic along Route 1 was blocked off for several hours, with cars backed up for more than a mile. RSU 29 school children were late in getting to school as busses had to find alternate routes to pick up students. Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles.
Officials in the Monticello Town Office said the building, which is owned by Tina Raven-Kingson, was a total loss. Firefighters arrived on the scene around 5:46 a.m. and spent roughly five and a half hours trying to contain the blaze. Crews from Bridgewater and Littleton assisted.
Heat from the fire was so intense that it melted some of the vinyl siding on the exterior of the Monticello Country Store located across the street.
Attempts to reach Monticello Fire Chief Morris Pinette were not successful. Efforts to reach an investigator from the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office were also unsuccessful.
