LEWISTON – The fate of Marco’s Restaurant remained uncertain Wednesday, a day after fire burned through the floors above the Lisbon Street business.

Damage to the building at 177 Lisbon St. was estimated at $300,000.

The two floors above Marco’s were destroyed in the Tuesday night blaze. Investigators said the restaurant itself sustained extensive damage from smoke and water.

On Wednesday, sunlight streamed through the collapsed upper floor of the building while Marco’s sat filled with rubble at street level.

State and local fire investigators dug through the ruins most of the day, trying to determine the cause of the blaze that burned for more than five hours.

“It was hard to pinpoint the point of origin because of the destruction we faced,” said Lewiston Fire Investigator Paul Ouellette.

Fire officials said the 10 p.m. fire appeared to have started on the second floor of the three-story building. Inspectors were examining an electrical outlet near a second-floor landing, although the exact cause of the blaze was not determined, according to Fire Chief Michel Lajoie.

The top floors were used for storage for the business.

City inspectors planned to enter the building on Thursday to decide whether it could be saved or should be condemned.

According to David Hediger, Lewiston’s deputy director of planning and code enforcement, ripping down the buildings would leave a space among the storefronts “like a missing tooth.”

New owners

The building is owned by Marco Giancotti. In 2000, Giancotti sold Marco’s Restaurant to two of his workers, Steve Taylor and Duane Arnold. However, Giancotti retained ownership of the buildings. He was in the process of working out a deal with Taylor and Arnold when the fire occurred. The sale was due to close next week, said James Bennett, Lewiston’s city administrator.

Arnold was said to be out of town on Wednesday. Taylor could not be reached for comment. The restaurant was closed at the time of the fire as workers took a yearly vacation.

The location of Marco’s in the center of the downtown made its importance transcend financial figures, Bennett said. Though few upscale businesses have managed to survive there, Marco’s was celebrating its 26th anniversary.

“Hopefully, the restaurant will be able to reopen somewhere in the downtown,” said Bennett, who arrived at the fire scene Tuesday night minutes after firefighters were alerted.

The late-night blaze brought hundreds of onlookers to the scene. Fire crews attacked the flames from both Lisbon and Canal streets, firing jets of water through second- and third-floor windows, trying to subdue the stubborn fire.

“It was a massive effort,” Fire Investigator Ouellette said.

Challenging fight

Firefighters were forced to work from narrow vantage points – Lisbon Street on one side and a space blocked by the Centreville Parking Garage on the other. Even so, crews began firing water at the flames within minutes of their arrival.

“Fortunately, we were able to set up on Canal Street and fire water up over the parking garage,” Ouellette said.

Fire officials said one of the biggest obstacles was the fact that flames appeared to be burning near the middle of the massive building, rather than at one end or another. Partitioned walls inside the building also prevented water from getting at some of the hot spots.

“It was a challenge for everyone involved,” Ouellette said.

Around 11 p.m., parts of the roof collapsed. Firefighters had retreated from the roof and nobody was injured. Two crew members suffered smoke inhalation, however, and required oxygen before returning the the job.

“They were back in the game shortly after,” Ouellette said.

Lewiston firefighters were assisted in their efforts by several area departments, including those from Auburn, Sabattus, Lisbon and Greene.

Besides the damage to the Marco’s building, the fire scorched the International House next door, burning parts of the roof. Firefighters were forced to cut holes in parts of the building to vent the smoke and let the water in. The result was some smoke and water damage throughout the building, whose tenants include a dance studio, Studio L; and a retail shop, Regency Sale and Distribution. The 109-year-old building is owned by Normand Rousseau.

He didn’t hear about the fire until early Wednesday, he said. He then rushed to the scene, figuring firefighters might need the keys to his building.

“They’d already been at it with axes,” he said. “I guess they didn’t need my keys anymore.”

The Centreville Plaza building on the other side of Marco’s was undamaged. It houses the Chamber of Commerce and other offices.

The Marco’s building was turned over to the owners Wednesday afternoon, although the investigation was continuing. The section of Lisbon Street between Pine and Ash was reopened to traffic by 4 p.m.