SABATTUS – A fire that destroyed a camp on Depot Street early Wednesday night was likely caused by a gas grill left unattended inside the building, investigators said Thursday.
Firefighters said containers of fuel inside the camp helped the flames spread quickly throughout the building after the blaze started about 6 p.m.
The camp at 61 Depot St. was owned by 47-year-old Danny Dennis, not Michael Dennis, as originally believed. Michael Dennis lives next door to the camp that burned.
No one was hurt in the fire.
State Fire Marshal’s Office investigator Dan Roy Jr. spent part of Thursday poking through the rubble inside the burned building. He determined the most likely cause was the gas grill left pushed up against a wall on the enclosed front porch.
Dennis told investigators he had heated some Chinese food on the grill before stepping out for a while. The lid of the grill was leaning against the wall and eventually burned through, investigators said.
“It was probably smoldering when he left,” said Sabattus firefighter Jon Mennealy.
When flames burned through the floor, plastic cartons containing fuel oil used for a chain saw overturned, Mennealy said. The fuel caught fire as it spilled and flames spread to other parts of the camp.
The gas grill was attached to a 20-pound propane tank, which also helped fuel the flames, investigators said.
By the time firefighters arrived, the front part of the camp was fully engulfed. Crews turned their attention to saving camps on either side of the one that burned.
Investigators said there was no electricity to the building at 61 Depot St. Dennis lives in the camp year-round, staying in the porch area during summers and moving to the upstairs portion in the autumn and winter.
mlaflamme@sunjournal.com
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