BROOKSVILLE – An oil tank has been stolen from a local Grange hall and possibly hundreds of gallons of oil spilled onto the ground outside the building, according to officials.

The 275-gallon tank at the Rosier Rainbow Grange Hall was last filled on Feb. 14, and was stolen sometime since then, Brooksville Fire Chief William Leck said Thursday.

The thieves cut the tank loose from the oil line and spilled most, if not all, of the contents of the tank onto the ground as they took it away, he said.

“The ground has been saturated with it,” Leck said. “It’s hard to determine how much [oil was spilled] at this point.”

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is investigating the spill, Leck said. DEP officials could not be reached Thursday evening for comment.

Approximately 250 gallons of oil is believed to have been in the tank when it was taken, according to Hancock County Sheriff’s Deputy Troy Richardson. The theft was discovered Wednesday afternoon when a Grange member arrived at the hall and tried unsuccessfully to light the furnace, Richardson said.

Leck said the loss of the oil, most of which was spilled on the side of the building, will be costly for the Grange chapter.

“They’re out all the fuel they have already bought and paid for,” Leck said. “The valuable thing [about the tank] would have been the oil.”

According to the Maine State Planning Office Web site, the statewide average for heating oil this week is $1.10 per gallon. At that rate, the likely value of the oil in the tank would be $275.

Leck said the cleanup costs probably will be “rather pricey” and that anyone with information about the theft should contact the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.

“It is going to involve some money. There’s no question about that,” Leck said. “This is another one of those things when you can’t figure out why it happened.”