MONTICELLO, Maine — John Tivnan said he was sleeping in a motor home near the north side of an old potato house on Route 1 in Monticello when the south side of the building burst into flames about 11:15 p.m. Monday.
“One of my guys got him out,” said Monticello Fire Chief Morris Pinette on Thursday.
The fire destroyed the two-story, 180-foot-long structure built in 1956 and more than $500,000 worth of antique cars stored inside that belonged to building owner Al Weiner and his wife.
“It was a total loss,” Weiner said Wednesday from Florida, adding that they were unable to insure the old building.
Monticello, Bridgewater and Littleton fire departments fought the blaze and were on site all night, Tivnan said.
“By the time we got there flames were coming out of the roof,” said Pinette, adding that they were on scene until 4 a.m.
The structure housed the antique vehicles including a Rolls Royce and a BSA motorcycle, antique radio equipment and a medical marijuana growing business, said Tivnan, a retired master electrician who works for Weiner and often stays on site for building security.
Weiner is calling the fire a mystery because he said there were people present and all of a sudden the building was completely engulfed in flames.
“I am thinking something exploded because the whole building was engulfed,” he said. “We are awaiting a report from the fire marshal.”
Pinette said there are so many possibilities as to what might have happened that he can’t comment on any theories.
“It was an old building with old wiring,” he said, adding that he did not call the fire marshal because the building was not insured.
According to Tivnan, he lost about $30,000 in electrical parts and equipment, not to mention all his tools.
Weiner was leasing a portion of the building to Luc Fournier, who owns Sea of Green Inc., a state-licensed medical marijuana caregiver.
Fournier was unable to be reached for comment.
Weiner also owns WBCQ, an international shortwave radio station, classic country Kixx Radio FM 94.7, The Mix FM 98.3 and WXME, AM 780, located about a mile from the burned building in Monticello.
The building was recently partially renovated, including replacing a portion of the foundation and a new roof, Weiner said.
Despite losing the entire structure and its contents, Weiner said that he is rebuilding at the site.
“We are going to turn it into a communication site,” he said.
This story was updated to include comments from Monticello Fire Chief Morris Pinette and to clarify that the state fire marshal is not investigating the fire.