LEWISTON — Lewiston Fire and Police departments and the State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating a fire that started early Wednesday morning in a warehouse on Holland Street.

Firefighters responded around 2:30 a.m. to a fire at the warehouse of Jay’s Small Engine and Appliance Service at 72 Holland St. According to the owner, Jay Rodrigue, the building housed products and trucks for his adjacent business, located at 70 Holland St. No one was in the building at the time and there were no injuries, according to officials.

The warehouse was destroyed in the fire. Rodrigue said the property was insured. He did not know the value of the property inside the warehouse.

The adjacent business office was not damaged in the fire. “Thanks to the absolutely fabulous fire department, we didn’t lose anything (in that building),” Rodrigue said.

The building was fully involved by the time emergency personnel got to the scene at 2:30 a.m., according to Lewiston Fire Department Lt. Brad Dresser.

At about 9:15 a.m. this morning, Lt. Tim Falvey of the Boston and Maine Railroad Police was standing guard by the railroad tracks that run adjacent to the building. He said the railroad tracks had been shut down for a period of because of the fire, but rail service has since resumed.

“They had to shut down for a period of time so (emergency personnel) could get the equipment and the people over here without causing any danger,” Falvey said.

Rodrique said that the pending an investigation from the electric inspector Jay’s Small Engine and Appliance Service will be back in business as of end of business today. He plans to rebuild the warehouse after the insurance claim is settled, he said.

The cause of the fire is still undetermined.  Come back to SunJournal.com to follow this story as it develops.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.