Three dozen residents of a Caribou senior living center have been temporarily displaced because of extensive water damage caused by a fire early Wednesday.
The Caribou Fire & Ambulance Department responded to a fire alarm at Hilltop Heights Senior Living just after midnight on Jan. 21. Crews found smoke and a sprinkler head had activated in one wing of the building, the department said in a release.
In addition to water from the sprinkler, a resident had used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire prior to the arrival of firefighters. The fire was caused by the malfunctioning of battery-powered string lights in a hallway, the department said.
Hilltop Heights, a senior living center converted from Caribou’s former Hilltop Elementary School, opened in 2021 with 38 single-bedroom units.
It’s unclear how many residents lived there at the time of the fire or how long the displacement is expected to last. The owner of the management company that oversees the property did not immediately return a call seeking that information Wednesday.
RSU 39, the regional school district based in Caribou, provided a heated school bus to keep evacuated residents warm while the fire department worked the scene.
