NEW PORTLAND — A mobile home was partially destroyed by a fire Wednesday night that officials believe was caused by an electrical shortage.
A passer-by reported the fire on River Road at 5:39 p.m. The fire marshal said it probably was an electrical fire that started around the fuse panel, according to Kip Poulin, New Portland’s fire chief.
One structures on the property is gone, Poulin said, and about half of the home is burned. The inside also has smoke and heat damage.
Firefighters spent a couple of hours extinguishing the fire, Poulin said. The New Portland, Kingfield, New Vineyard and Anson fire departments all responded.
The mobile home was uninhabited at the time. It had just been rented out and there were no furnishings, people or pets inside, Poulin said. The power had been turned on a few days earlier.
According to Poulin, the fire marshal said electrical fires tend to happen more in uninhabited buildings, as rodents sometimes get into the electrical wiring.
The home was privately owned and was not insured.
Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239
mstamour@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @madelinestamour
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