This story has been updated.
A building on 58 Main St. in Van Buren and an unoccupied structure at 56 Main St. were both destroyed in a fire on Saturday.
The owner of the 58 Main St. building, whom fire officials did not identify, suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to Cary Medical Center in Caribou, according to Maine Department of Public Safety Public spokesperson Shannon Moss.
A firefighter was also taken to the hospital after slipping on the ice, Moss said.
An adjacent apartment building at 52 Main St. was evacuated as a precaution, and all tenants later returned to their homes.
The call came in on Saturday night when the owner of 58 Main St. found a fire involving his pellet stove, Moss said. The owner reportedly tried to extinguish the fire himself, but it continued to spread.
The fire department responded to the fire at roughly 11:14 p.m., with teams attacking multiple sides of the building. They also requested aid from the St. Leonard and Grand Falls departments in New Brunswick as well as the Grand Isle Fire Department.
“With water supply dwindling from our town’s water tanks we had to also move part of our water supply to a water shuttle then call in an additional tanker from Caribou Fire to maintain proper water flow,” Van Buren Fire Chief Brian Caron said in a social media post.
The owner’s pets escaped unharmed, the chief said.
The town’s light and power organization cut electricity to the building and Van Buren Water monitored water usage during the incident. They cleared the scene at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, but returned shortly afterward for a flare up.
Though an adjacent structure was lost in the blaze, the department kept the fire from spreading to other attached buildings. Those buildings suffered significant water damage and some exterior damage but are salvageable, according to Caron.
The owner of 58 Main Street is being assisted by the Red Cross, he said.
The chief thanked the town’s public works department for helping to handle the road after the water and freezing temperatures turned it into a “skating rink,” and also to the town’s ambulance and the Aroostook County Sheriff’s dispatch team.
“I may be hard on them in the heat of the moment but we are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to giving it our all no matter what conditions are thrown at us,” Caron said in praise of his team. He also expressed gratitude to the departments who offered mutual aid.
Moss said the fire is currently under investigation, but that the cause likely involves a pellet stove.