MACHIAS, Maine — A fire that destroyed a house and an attached barn this week was the result of arson, Fire Chief Joey Dennison reported Saturday.
Thursday’s fire was intentionally set, said Dennison. He was informed of the finding by an investigator of the office of the State Fire Marshal on Thursday night, he said.
When asked what caused the fire, Dennison answered, “The rest of it is under investigation.”
The probe is being conducted by the State Fire Marshal. Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact Maine State Police.
The fire was started on the outside of the building in the area of the attached barn, said Dennison.
The building was a total loss, valued at about $100,000, estimated Dennison.
A witness, Sarah Lord, described on Thursday seeing flames on the barn and spreading quickly to the exterior shingles of the house. Lord, who works in a nearby insurance office, ran to the burning home when she learned it was on fire. “It started in the barn,” she said.
Dennison also clarified a comment he made the day of the fire. At the time he said that when firefighters turned on a nearby fire hydrant there was no water pressure. “There was pressure,” he said Saturday. “The hydrant worked properly for the type of hydrant that it is.”
Dennison also pointed out that an employee of the Machias Water Co., Jesse Davis, was on the scene and helped firefighters by turning on the hydrant.
The homeowner, Barbara Koch, watched with co-workers and neighbors as firefighters battled the flames. Koch and a teenage daughter lived in the house, but neither was home at the time.
An online campaign seeking to raise $5,000 to aid the family had collected nearly $4,470 as of Saturday afternoon.