Staff Writer
MASARDIS – A fire Sunday, Feb. 10, destroyed a two-story structure in the heart of this small community.
Fire Chief Steve Sherman said the Masardis Fire Department was responded to the 9 a.m. call regarding a fire at a residence on Route 11 in Masardis. “The structure is in the center of Masardis. It’s a total loss,” said Sherman.
The home was estimated to be over 50 years old.
The owner of the home was identified as James Poole. Since the fire, Poole, an employee of MTK, Inc., of Garfield, has been staying in Presque Isle.
“I’m not sure of the owner’s name. All I know is that he has only owned it for a little over a year,” he said. “He’d been home earlier that day but had left prior to the fire being noticed.”
Sherman said the structure was so badly damaged, the cause may never be known.
“The Fire Marshal’s Office was notified but the investigation isn’t complete yet. Due to the extent of the damage, it’s unlikely a cause will ever be determined,” said Sherman.
Firefighters were on the scene until 5 p.m., making sure no hot spots remained. Crews from several other departments in Aroostook County responded to assist.
“We received mutual aid from Ashland, Portage, Mapleton, Presque Isle and I believe Caribou provided backup at one of the stations. We had around 25 firefighters on the scene,” Sherman explained.
Firefighters were hampered in their efforts due to water issues.
“The water supply was an issue. Things are iced over – streams,” said Sherman.
Water had to be trucked in, with several departments supplying tankers for that purpose.
No one was at home at the time of the blaze and no injuries were reported. Sherman didn’t know if the home was insured or not. No estimate on the value of the home was available.
Sherman said the community was lucky the fire didn’t spread.
“The fire did have the potential to extend to other large buildings but we were able to contain the blaze, so no other structures were damaged. We were able to save several old buildings in the area – keeping an eye on them and wetting down what we could,” said Sherman.
Being a volunteer fire department, Sherman wished to thank those who offered aid.
“We’d like to thank all the mutual aid departments. We really appreciate their help. It might have been a lot worse without them helping,” said Sherman.
