WILTON – A fire Friday on the first floor of the former Forster Manufacturing building on Depot Street was started by a match, Fire Chief Sonny Dunham said.

It could have been lit by a homeless person trying to keep warm or by some youths, he said, but the fire is not necessarily arson.

There were no injuries.

Sixty-two firefighters responded to the massive four-story building, which is vacant for the most part and had no electricity, no running water, no sprinkler system and wasn’t insured, Dunham said. Firefighters contained the fire to the first floor and damage was minimal, he said.

Firefighters from East Dixfield, Farmington, Jay, Livermore Falls and Wilton responded to 9:30 a.m. report. International Paper sent its hazardous material truck because of the possibility of such substances in the building, but there were none, Dunham said.

Building owner Ken Bustin had dismantled a printing operation that was in the building, and a person doing that work discovered the fire, Dunham said.

The building ownership was in the process of being transferred to Minat Corp. of Portland, which holds the mortgage note, Dunham said. The transaction is nearly complete.

State fire investigator Dan Roy is looking into the cause further.

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