Fort Kent fire destroys firewood facility and vehicles

by Chris Bouchard
2 months ago
About 65 firefighters were on the scene Thursday night as Fort Kent Fire Department fought one of the largest fires the town has seen in at least a year. Fort Kent was joined by nearby departments in northern Maine and across the international border in New Brunswick. The fire engulfed JRS Firewood, a local firewood facility and destroyed two vehicles. (Courtesy of Cole Pelletier)

FORT KENT, Maine — Fire departments in northern Maine and Canada responded to a large fire that engulfed JRS Firewood, a Fort Kent firewood processing facility, Thursday. 

No civilians or firefighters were injured, according to Fort Kent Fire Chief Cole Pelletier.

Pelletier said it is one of the largest fires they have handled within at least the past year. Altogether, he said there were 65 firefighters on the scene, and the town of Fort Kent’s public works department also provided a tanker.

“We had three engines working the fire and then nine tankers providing water,” the chief said.

The facility, located at 711 Frenchville Road, includes several connected structures like a quonset hut and garage, and is about 100 feet long. These structures were all engulfed in the fire, Pelletier said, adding that an 18-wheeler with a low bed and a tractor were also ruined.

The department first received the call at 5:30 p.m. and cleared the scene just after 9:30 p.m. Fort Kent received help from Eagle Lake, Frenchville, St. Agatha, and St. Francis fire departments in addition to North Lakes Fire & Rescue, and two Canadian departments based in Claire and St. Francis, New Brunswick.

About 65 firefighters were on the scene as Fort Kent Fire Department fought one of the largest fires the town has seen in at least a year. Fort Kent was joined by nearby departments in northern Maine and across the international border in New Brunswick. The fire engulfed JRS Firewood, a local firewood facility and destroyed two vehicles. (Courtesy of Cole Pelletier)

Pelletier said that when he first received the call, he did not yet know what part of the facility was involved, but made the call to reach out to all of the surrounding departments. 

“I knew we were going to need a lot of water, so that’s why I called all those mutual aid departments for tankers and manpower,” he said.

This is the third fire the department dealt with this week. The first fire occurred on Monday to a single-family home, which was totaled but is still standing. The second fire occurred on Wednesday morning, but was contained to a kitchen and was put out quickly. 

Ambulance Service Inc. was also on the scene and the local McDonald’s and Hannaford also provided food. The St. Francis, Maine, fire department also responded to a second call at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, which ended up being a false alarm.

A cause has not yet been determined. The fire marshal’s office is expected to arrive Friday afternoon to conduct an investigation.