LEWISTON — A midday fire Tuesday destroyed an old pump house along the city’s canals, fire officials said.
Because the fire destroyed so much of the structure that was already rotted, fire inspectors weren’t able to enter the building to determine the fire’s cause or area of origin, according to Fire Inspector Paul Ouellette.
An investigation is ongoing with assistance from the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office, he said. “We want to make sure we cover all of our bases.”
It marked the second time in the past decade that a fire was discovered in the vacant 20- by 30-foot building that houses four rusty pumps, he said.
The call came in shortly before noon. When firefighters arrived on scene, the building was engulfed in flames, Ouellette said.
The pump house is between Simard-Payne Memorial Park on Beech Street and the Roy Continental Mill parking lot.
He said the building was now “very unsafe” and should be demolished.
No injuries were reported.
Fire trucks had difficulty getting to the fire scene on local streets due to an area snowstorm, he said.
“The guys did a fantastic job,” given the extent of the fire and where the building was located, he said. “It was a good stop.”
They fought the fire from two sides of the building, Ouellette said. From one side, they used a ladder truck, maneuvering under power lines and put the hose nozzle on the tip of the ladder and “let her rip” through the window of the building.
From the other side of the building, firefighters laid lines through snowbanks. They sprayed water followed by foam to blanket the fire, depriving it of oxygen.
They had it knocked down within an hour of arrival on scene, Ouellette said.
The building is owned by the city. It is not the pump house that officials announced a year ago was being considered for development.
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