Electrical problem leads to blaze Kenduskeag fire damages house, two-story barn

KENDUSKEAG – A fire Monday morning that resulted in an estimated $50,000 to $80,000 in damage to a two-story barn and attached house on Route 15 was ruled accidental and electrical in nature.

Though fire caused extensive damage to the barn and its contents, firefighters from five communities managed to halt it before it reached the attached house, just north of the town’s fire station, Kenduskeag Fire Chief Gary Currier said.

In addition to the barn, the losses included a large collection of books on the structure’s second story and significant smoke damage to the house, Currier said. He said the property was insured and no one was injured in connection with the fire.

According to Currier, the fire was reported 7:51 a.m. by homeowners Perley and Charlotte Delano, who opened a door to the structure to find it filled with flames.

An estimated 35 firefighters from Kenduskeag, Corinth, Levant, Hudson and Glenburn were sent to the fire scene, the chief said. The crews extinguished the fire within about half an hour.

Sgt. Stewart Jacobs of the State Fire Marshal’s Office said the fire was caused by a problem with the barn’s electrical wiring.