Fire destroys Skowhegan home, injures 1 person

Firefighters battle a house fire on Waterville Road in Skowhegan Thursday around 4:30 p.m. According to Fire Chief Ronnie Rodriguez, the house was destroyed and the owner was injured. Jake Freudberg/The Morning Watch

SKOWHEGAN. Firefighters battled a fire Thursday night on Waterville Road that destroyed a home and injured one person.

The home at 706 Waterville Road, a ranch-style structure about three miles north of the Sappi Paper Mill and about three miles south of downtown Skowhegan, appeared to have been completely destroyed.

The homeowner was injured in the fire and taken to the hospital by ambulance, Skowhegan Fire Chief Ronnie Rodriguez said. It is believed that no one was home when the fire broke out.

Speaking at the scene Thursday night, Rodriguez said he did not have information on the man’s injuries or condition.

Smoke rises above Waterville Road in Skowhegan, where a fire destroyed a home late Thursday afternoon. As a result of the fire, which quickly developed, the owner of the house was injured. Jake Freudberg/The Morning Watch

“It’s a bad deal,” the chief said around 4:30 p.m., as smoke continued to rise from the destroyed home more than an hour after firefighters responded.

Firefighters from several local communities extinguished the fire at 3:06 p.m., Rodriguez said. When the first rescuers arrived, the fire was completely engulfed, a large flame was visible.

Waterville Road was closed to all traffic as of 4:30 p.m. Northbound traffic was diverted to Varney Road and then Middle Road to reach Skowhegan, while southbound traffic was diverted to South Factory Street and then Middle Road.

Rodriguez said around 4:30 p.m. that he did not know when the road would be reopened. The fire is still burning under the remains of the structure, and crews are waiting for an excavator to arrive to help fully extinguish any remaining hot spots, Rodriguez said.

“We’re going to be here for a while,” he said.

As of Thursday evening, the cause of the fire was unknown, investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office were on the scene.

Firefighters are still working to fully extinguish the fire, so the investigation is in its early stages, said Shawn Esler, state fire marshal, who was at the scene with other investigators from his office.

Canaan, Cornville, Fairfield-Benton, Madison, Norridgewock, Skowhegan and Waterville fire departments responded. Several Skowhegan police officers also assisted with traffic control, and Redington-Fairview General Hospital EMS was on the scene.

Firefighters from Skowhegan and nearby communities responded to the fire, reported around 3:00 p.m. Thursday, and found the building fully engulfed in flames. One person from the Waterville Road home was taken to the hospital. Jake Freudberg/The Morning Watch

Rodriguez, the Skowhegan Fire Chief, said he appreciates the strong response from other communities. But during major incidents, resources can be stretched thin because mostly volunteer fire departments are working, he said.

During the fire on Waterville Road, emergency crews were also dispatched to a serious car accident in Norridgewock, Rodriguez said.

“This is a crisis facing rural Maine,” Rodriguez said.