Candle blamed for downtown blaze

BANGOR – An unattended candle is being blamed for a fire that damaged a downtown apartment building and left seven people homeless Monday night.

The seven people who lived in the Skoufus Building’s seven single-occupant apartments will not be allowed to return to their homes until the building has been brought back up to code, Bangor fire Assistant Chief Vance Tripp said Tuesday. The Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross, which had been expecting to house only one person on a long-term basis, will continue to help the other six. Officials initially had believed that six of the apartments would be reopened on Tuesday.

Repairs to the building’s fire-damaged electric wiring were cited as the primary need before the residents could return,

Tripp said. Investigators will continue to evaluate the damage to the building today to determine whether the structure, which is more than 100 years old, will lose its grandfathered status and will need to be brought up to current city fire codes, which may include installation of a sprinkler system. The building is owned by Arthur Brountas.

Officials also noted that there was extensive smoke damage to the second, third and fourth floors of the building, Tripp said. Water damage to The Main Tavern, operated by Peter Brountas on the first floor, was limited because fire officials had been careful with their use of water. The Tavern will remain open.

The building was up to date on its inspections and there was no history of code violations dating back to a 1981 fire that destroyed an adjoining section of the structure, according to Bangor Code Enforcement Officer Dan Wellington.

“We had inspected it for rooming and lodging and there were no problems,” said Wellington. “In fact, it was among the first buildings in the city to be hard-wired for smoke detectors.”

Some firefighters claimed that finding one person hanging out of a third-floor window when they arrived Monday night caused flashbacks to the 1981 blaze, in which three people died. The person was helped out of the building by a fire escape, as were three other people.

Firefighters were called to the building at 148 Main St., at the corner of Main and Union streets, when someone heard the sound of a smoke alarm and called the Fire Department just before 10 p.m. Monday.

The fire gutted apartment No. 2, which was being rented to 52-year-old Ben Garbus, Tripp said. Garbus told officials he did not recall whether he had extinguished a candle in his living room before he had gone to his job as a Salvation Army bell ringer Monday afternoon. Officials identified the candle as the source of the fire on Tuesday.

Officials believe that the fire was contained by the design of the room and by Garbus’ having closed every door and window in the residence before leaving for work, Tripp said.

Arthur Brountas told fire officials he hopes to have the building repaired as soon as possible.

“Mr. Brountas’ main concern is for the people,” Tripp said.