SANGERVILLE, Maine — A fast-moving fire Thursday night destroyed an old unoccupied farmhouse and attached barn on Silvers Mills Road owned by Piscataquis County Sheriff John Goggin and his wife, Bonnie.
The Goggins, of Guilford, bought the property in June and planned to renovate it for a retirement home, John Goggin said late Thursday.
“It’s kind of emotionally draining really because it’s something that Bonnie and I had been looking forward to. We were going to do something with the place and it was going to be our retirement home,” the sheriff said Thursday night. “I guess we’re going to have start dreaming about something else.”
Goggin said he checked daily on the farmhouse, which was heated by an oil furnace. Anticipating the cold night, he said he had turned up the thermostat earlier Thursday to make sure the pipes wouldn’t freeze. No one was living in the home, he said.
The fire, which was reported about 8 p.m., started in a portion of the house that was attached by an ell to a large barn, according to Goggin, who was notified shortly after firefighters were called. He said he and his wife went to the scene where he met with Scott Richardson of the State Fire Marshal’s Office who lives in Sanger-ville and who also was called to the scene.
Several fire departments from as far away as Kenduskeag responded to the call from Sangerville firefighters for assistance.
“The weather and the temperature were just against them and unfortunately they weren’t able to save them,” Goggin said, referring to the house and barn. “There was just one portion of the house that was burning and they thought they could save the ell and the barn but apparently the water froze up in their lines and they just couldn’t get any water on the buildings.”
The temperature hovered at about minus 20 Fahrenheit in Sangerville on Thursday night.
Goggin said the house was full of antiques and furniture that he and his wife had collected over the years, including some bought from the previous homeowners, Selma Howell of Dover-Foxcroft and the late J. Wilson Howell. Two boats, motors, trailers and some antique farm equipment were stored in the barn. He said he had insurance on the building but expected it would not cover the total loss.
“My wife and I are both very appreciative of the efforts that they [firefighters] put into trying to save the buildings,” Goggin said. “Thank God nobody was hurt and nobody was in the buildings and none of the firemen got hurt.”
Firefighters were still battling the fire late Thursday.
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