BYRON — A fire destroyed a camp and severely damaged a second one Monday evening on East Shore Drive beside Garland Pond.
The two-story camp with a full basement owned by George and Myrtle Taylor was engulfed in flames at 7:46 p.m. when the first firefighter arrived at 157 East Shore Drive. Flames were threatening a neighboring camp, Mexico Fire Chief Mat Theriault said.
By the time crews from the Mexico Fire Department and Roxbury emergency responders arrived, the second camp had caught fire.
Two teams entered the second camp and extinguished flames in the unfinished interior, while another team extinguished the exterior blaze.
A propane tank at the camp at 157 East Shore Drive had to be cooled before firefighters could move in, Theriault said.
Fire crews took about two hours to get the fire under control, and firefighters remained on the scene until 11:18 p.m. taking care of hot spots.
Firefighters returned Tuesday morning to extinguish hot spots under the roof and an excavator was brought in to remove metal roofing from the camp at 157 East Shore Drive.
The Taylor camp is a total loss, while the second camp, owned by Steve and Amanda Brown, received damage to the exterior walls, insulation and the roof trusses, Theriault said.
Investigators determined that the fire was caused by a generator running inside a shed at 157 East Shore Drive, Therriault said.
The Mexico Fire Department was assisted by fire crews from Roxbury, Rumford, Dixfield, Peru and Andover, as well as Med-Care Ambulance.
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