RUMFORD – A fire that broke out early Thursday evening at the New Page Mill in Rumford was extinguished in about 45 minutes, said Rumford Fire Deputy Chief Richard Coulombe.

Coulombe said the fire was called in at 5:45 p.m. and was originally described as a woodpile fire, then a tractor trailor fire.

“It ended up being a front-end loader on fire,” he said. “When we got there it was fully involved. We extinguished it, and there was nobody in it and nobody got hurt.”

One fire engine from Rumford and one from Mexico arrived on the scene, as well as about a dozen firefighters, Coulombe said.

Coulombe said it was impossible to tell what caused the fire, without having a mechanic evaluate the vehicle.

“There was so much damage to it, we have no idea what started it,” he said. “I know it was parked. It had been parked for awhile. It’s got a block heater in it, so it was hooked to an extension cord to keep the block warm so it wouldn’t freeze.”

No mill materials were damaged, other than the front-end loader, he said.

– Rebekah Metzler