CARIBOU — Eleven families, a total of 35 people, were left homeless Wednesday night by a fire that gutted a 17-unit apartment building on Jacobs Avenue.
Firefighters and equipment from five towns were involved in the effort to extinguish the fire.
When some firefighters were returning to the station, about 12:45 a.m. Thursday, a second alarm came in about a fire at a potato storage facility on U.S. Route 1, north of town. The facility owned by Ronald P. Guerrette of Caribou was destroyed.
The cause of the two fires remained under investigation Thursday afternoon. Firefighters were still at the scene of the apartment fire, putting down hot spots and keeping an eye on the area.
The only injury reported was to an unidentified woman, a bystander who didn’t live in the burning building. The woman has asthma, which was aggravated by smoke in the area. She was taken to the Cary Medical Center by ambulance.
Bill Flagg, director of public relations at Cary, said the woman was treated and released Wednesday night.
The owners of the building at the Terrace View Apartments, Larry and Corinne Van Peursem of Bangor, estimated the loss at $900,000. The building was part of a three-building, 49-apartment complex at the site.
Caribou Fire Chief Roy Woods said the top floor and attic of the three-story wood-frame structure was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived at the scene within minutes of the call at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Most people living at the complex lost all or most of their belongings.
Ten-year-old Nathan Fox lost his rabbit and his fish and everything else he owned. He was in another apartment building playing with a friend when the fire broke out.
His mother, Sheila Fox, who was in Limestone when the fire started, said Thursday: “Nathan called me and said our home was on fire. We lived on the third floor and lost everything. We feel lucky, but things are not very nice right now.”
Fox, who also has a 16-year-old daughter who was not at home during the fire, said, “both my kids had bad dreams last night.”
Lawrence W. Kelley, 48, and his brother, Dana P. Kelley, left for work at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. “We came home to nothing,” said Lawrence, noting that the family had lived there for three years.
Their mother, Marguerite, 69, was home alone on the third floor. She was helped out of the building by an unidentified police officer.
“Thank God for the police officer who helped her. She could not find her way to the stairwell. I don’t know who the officer was but we want to thank him and all the people who helped,” said Lawrence Kelley.
Ann Gagnon, who lives across town, was talking on the telephone with her father, Edward Corey, who had lived in the building 20 years.
“Someone banged on his door and was yelling `the building’s on fire.’ We both dropped the telephones. I met him in the yard later. He’s fine,” Gagnon said.
Woods said the cause of the fire was under investigation by the state fire marshal. “It is not suspicious, but we are trying to nail down the cause,” he said.
Woods said Caribou police and firefighters worked to make sure all apartments were empty.
Firefighters also protected two other neighboring buildings in the complex. Woods said the two buildings “would have been threatened had it not been for firefighters’ efforts.”
Woods commended the fire departments from Limestone, Washburn and Loring, and Crown Ambulance for assistance Wednesday night. A total of 55 firefighters and 10 trucks were at the scene.
“Had it not been for other departments, it could have been even more disastrous. Mutual aid is used heavily in Aroostook because no one fire department in the area can totally operate without help. We all utilize mutual aid and it works real well,” said Woods.
He also commended the American Red Cross workers “who were notified early in the game. They got there real quick and started helping people, finding places for them to stay and bringing coffee to firefighters. They were a real big help,” said the chief.
The alarm for the apartment fire came from an unidentified tenant, said a dispatcher at the Caribou Fire Department Thursday.
The Terrace View Apartments are owned by North Ridge Limited Partnership, according to Caribou’s property tax office. The burned building had a municipal valuation of $428,800.
Larry Richardson, branch manager of the American Red Cross in Aroostook County, said Thursday that $10,000 is needed to assist people affected by the fire.
The Red Cross put up some residents at the Caribou Motor Inn and Convention Center, he said. Many went to stay overnight with friends or family.
Richardson said all affected families received initial assistance in the form of clothing, food and shelter and “We put them in touch with other agencies for assistance.
“We will keep in touch to see what other assistance we can give,” said Richardson.
Corinne Van Peursem said six of the affected families were able to find housing in other buildings of the complex Thursday.
The Terrace View apartment complex is about 20 years old, said Van Peursem. She and her husband bought the complex 18 months ago and renovated all the apartments.
“We are trying to make sure all the residents have places to live. At least they will have a place to sleep,” she said.
The Ronald P. Guerrette potato storage facility that burned had about 2,000 barrels of potatoes in it. The potatoes were brought to the storage facility on Wednesday, the first day that building was used by Guerrette. No financial estimate of the loss was available.
Firefighters from Caribou, Loring, Van Buren, Stockholm and Fort Fairfield were at that fire for 3 1/2 hours. A neighbor of the facility called in the alarm.
Woods said fire officials had no idea how the fire started. “The building was totally involved when firemen arrived, even power lines were down,” said Woods.
How to Help
In order to assist more than 40 people left homeless by recent fires in Eastern and Northern Maine, the Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross is seeking financial contributions to the relief effort.
All Red Cross disaster assistance is free to recipients, and is made possible by voluntary gifts of time and money.
To help victims of the fires and other local disasters, contact Red Cross chapter offices at 33 Mildred Ave., Bangor 04401, 941-2903; and at 141 State St. in Presque Isle, 04769, 762-5671.
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