Fire prompts closing of Bangor courthouse

BANGOR – Those who arrived at the Penobscot County Courthouse on Wednesday morning hoping to conduct business, were turned away due to a fire that occurred in the basement Tuesday night.

The origin of the fire was believed to be in a room containing telephone equipment, located just inside the jury room, County Administrator Bill Collins said Wednesday afternoon.

“We are working very hard to be operational [Thursday], but that decision has not yet been made,” Collins said.

Collins believed the fire was started from a fan that was located in the 3-foot-by-5-foot telephone room.

Two men on custodial duty, Raymond Gonyer and Fred Sawtelle, discovered the fire around 7:45 p.m.

“They discovered the fire, reported it to sheriffs, and at the same time, the fire alarm actually sounded,” Collins said.

Collins believed it was a combination of the workers’ reaction and the quick response of the Bangor Fire Department that saved the rest of the building from damage.

“We dodged a bullet here,” he said.

To Collins’ knowledge, no one else was in the building at the time of the fire.

Although fire damage was minimal, the smoke did make its way through the building, causing the building’s closure Wednesday.

“Every day we are closed is a disruption,” Collins said.

The courthouse is home to agencies such as the register of deeds, the probate court and the superior court. Locals also post bail and pay fines in the building.

A state fire marshal investigated the scene Wednesday, and a service master was fogging the building to help remove the smoke odor.