BRUNSWICK, Maine — Investigators are searching for the cause of a “suspicious” fire that destroyed a dilapidated vacant house in the woods off Route 1 Sunday evening.
The house, located in the woods between Route 1 northbound and Bath Road, near Bath Iron Works’ Harding Plant, was fully engulfed in flames and had started to collapse when firefighters arrived shortly after 5 p.m., Brunswick fire Chief Ken Brillant said.
With no driveway to the building, brush trucks used Central Maine Power access roads to reach the fire, but larger trucks had to use Route 1 northbound, which was closed from about 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The building hadn’t been lived in for years, Brillant said.
Crews from Brunswick, Topsham and West Bath had the fire contained and mostly knocked down within 45 minutes to an hour, although wind blew the flames onto the powerline access road.
No injuries were reported.
Investigators from the state fire marshal’s office, Brunswick police and fire departments are working to determine the cause.