ROCKLAND, Maine — A fire that damaged one apartment and a business in the historic downtown Thorndike Building on Monday evening was accidentally caused by a contractor working on the exterior of the structure.
Rockland Fire Chief Adam Miceli said that a contractor was using a torch to seal roofing materials on the roof of a lower section of the building. The worker had taken numerous steps to minimize ignition, the fire chief said, but it appears heat was conducted through a piece of metal on the building, which ignited combustibles inside the wall.
The hallways of the second floor filled with smoke and residents of the 44-unit complex were evacuated but there were no injuries.
There was fire and water damage to a second-floor apartment and water damage to Lakeside Printing, which is located below that apartment.