In less than two weeks, a second vacant residential property in downtown Ellsworth has been damaged in a fire.
A house at 25 Spruce Street suffered heavy damage Sunday morning in a fire that caused part of its roof to collapse.
The previous fire, on Jan. 14 at 384 Water Street, is believed to have been intentionally set and remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Sunday’s fire, half a mile from the Water Street property, also is being investigated by state officials but its cause has not yet been determined, according to Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the fire marshal’s office.
The Spruce Street fire was reported to the city’s fire department at 5:51 am Sunday, according to Ellsworth Fire Chief Scott Guillerault.
The Spruce Street home was empty at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported, Guillerault said. The house has been vacant for several months, but the property owner checks on it frequently, he said.
The fire coincided with a drop in temperatures well below freezing across the state. In the hours following Sunday morning’s fire, the Ellsworth Fire Department’s Facebook page shared a picture of a helmet coated in a thick layer of ice. The image was captioned “A Song of Ice and Fire.”
Fire departments from the towns of Trenton, Lamoine, Mount Desert, Hancock and Orland responded to provide mutual aid at the fire scene. Mariaville firefighters staffed Ellsworth’s station during the blaze. The chief began dismissing departments by 9 a.m., Guillerault said.
Ellsworth police and fire departments are assisting the fire marshal’s office in the investigation, Moss said.
With the flames extinguished but smoke still lingering, a city water department worker shut off the Spruce St home’s water supply just after 11 a.m. Sunday. The fire’s damage was extensive: the back portion of the home’s roof had collapsed and empty doorframes revealed the home’s incinerated interior. Icicles formed where the home’s windows once sat. Letters that spelled out the word “peace” on the front of the home survived the fire.
Officials are requesting anyone with information related to the Ellsworth fires to contact the Ellsworth Police Department or the state’s Bangor Regional Communications Center, Moss said. Information can be provided anonymously by calling the state’s Arson Hotline at 1-888-870-6162.