Rumford fire was set, Fire Chief Woulfe says

RUMFORD-A Thursday night fire that caused minor damage to a vacant three-story apartment building was set, Fire Chief John Woulfe said Friday. There were no injuries.

The fire at 107 York St. produced lots of smoke throughout town.

Woulfe said state Fire Marshal’s Office investigator Dan Roy determined the fire in the 1920 wood-framed building was intentionally set Thursday evening. There are five apartments in the structure.

Woulfe said one or more people apparently entered the building through a back door in the basement, which he said was open when firefighters arrived. Approximately $2,000 damage was done to the timbers, floor joists and insulation in the basement, he said.

Real estate records list the building owner as Norman Hutchinson of Mexico.

The call came into the Fire Department at 9:16 p.m. Firefighters and trucks from Rumford and Mexico were at the scene until 11:30 p.m. This was the first time the department’s new ladder truck was used, Woulfe said.

Fire apparatus and firefighters from Dixfield stood by at the Congress Street fire station. Med-Care Ambulance Service also stood by.

Wolfe said the fire is under investigation by the Rumford Police Department