A commercial building at the corner of Oak Pond Road and Main Street in Canaan was destroyed in a fire Monday. Morning Sentinel photo by Rich Abrahamson Buy this Photo
CANAAN — The Office of State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of a fire that early Monday destroyed an unoccupied building at the corner of Main Street and Oak Pond Road. The structure had formerly been a pawn shop.
A commercial building at the corner of Oak Pond Road and Main Street in Canaan was destroyed in a fire Monday. Morning Sentinel photo by Rich Abrahamson Buy this Photo
Canaan Fire Chief Troy Bowden said Tuesday that the three-alarm fire drew crews from several towns including Canaan, Skowhegan, Hartland, Clinton, Cornville, Fairfield, Burnham, Athens and Madison.
Skowhegan brought a ladder truck, he said.
Bowden said he believed a passerby reported the fire around 2:40 a.m. Monday.
It was a tough fire to fight as the large building had a metal roof, according to Bowden, who said a pulp loader was brought in to help take it off.
“There’s nothing salvageable there,” he said when asked if the building was destroyed.
There was so much damage the fire marshal’s office was called to help determine the cause of the blaze, according to Bowden.
“I turned over the investigation to them,” he said. “They’ve got the expertise.”
Bowden said there was an upstairs apartment in the building, but no one lived there.
He said he was not able to get the name of the building’s owner Monday from the town office, as it was closed for the Patriot’s Day holiday. He said he believes the owner lives out of state, but that is something state investigators would learn during their investigation.
He said he also could not ascertain from Central Maine Power Co. whether there was any electricity to the building.
A woman who answered the phone at the fire marshal’s office late Tuesday afternoon said investigators had left for the day, but she would take a message and have someone return a call Wednesday.
The building was just east of Lake George Regional Park’s east side.
Bowden said firefighters left the scene around 9 a.m. Monday.
“There were no injuries,” he said.
At the scene Tuesday, piles of debris were on the ground outside what was left of the building. Doors, windows, insulation and furniture were among the debris. Several snow skis were leaning up against one outside wall.
Traffic flew by on Main Street, which also is U. S. Route 2. The building is adjacent to the old Oak Pond Motel, which is now vacant.
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