EUSTIS — Fires on Saturday destroyed a camp in Eustis and a home and garage in New Portland, keeping firefighters busy for hours.
No one was injured in either blaze.
Assistant Eustis fire Chief Joseph Plouffe said crews were called to a fully engulfed camp at 1 p.m. at 9 Norway Lane in Eustis. It was a single-story camp with a loft.
“When we rolled up, there was an extension of heavy smoke rolling out of the building from all of the eaves and windows,” Plouffe said. “We saved the shell (of the camp), but it was a major overhaul.”
He said they had the fire under control in 20 minutes.
They were assisted via mutual aid by Carrabassett Valley and Rangeley fire departments.
Plouffe said he didn’t know the camp owner’s name but said the man was doing plumbing work there when the fire broke out. He said the cause was under investigation.
Plouffe estimated the damage at $40,000.
It was the Eustis department’s third structure fire of the year, but the first two were in other towns to which they were called for mutual aid help.
New Portland house fire
The New Portland fire started at noon inside a three-bay, story-and-a-half garage attached to a story-and-a-half house on Fenwick Drive, New Portland Assistant Chief Brian Rundlett said Saturday evening.
Fenwick Drive is the driveway to the home of Tellis Fenwick Sr.
Rundlett said that when he arrived, the garage was fully engulfed with fire that was spreading into the first floor of the house.
Mutual aid responders included Kingfield, New Vineyard, Carrabassett and North Anson fire departments and Sugarloaf’s NorthStar Ambulance, which stood by to help.
Rundlett said Fenwick and his family were home when the fire started. He said they heard a noise in the garage and when they looked out through a doorway connecting the house to the garage, they saw flames.
“By the time they got their dogs and cats out and called 911, it was coming into the house,” Rundlett said. “The house is on a mountaintop and the wind was pushing the fire.”
It took firefighters two hours to knock down the blaze and get it under control using exterior, and then interior, attacks once enough manpower arrived. After that, it was another 2 to 2½ hours to mop up and root out hot spots.
Rundlett said the insured house and garage were a total loss, as well as equipment inside the garage, although the house was still standing.
“We did a hell of a job to save what’s left,” he said.
Rundlett said they hadn’t yet determined a cause, but a fire investigator with the state fire marshal’s office will be up from Augusta on Monday morning to help.
It was New Portland’s second structure fire of the year. The first was on Jan. 22 on River Road.
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