PARIS — A stubborn fire destroyed a garage, its contents and 20 cords of wood early Wednesday afternoon at a Brett Hill home, Paris fire Chief Brad Frost said at the scene.

There were no injuries.

Frost said that at about 12:15 p.m., firefighters from Paris, Norway and Oxford were sent to a garage fire at the home and business of Michael Gallan of 281 Brett Hill Road. Gallan discovered the blaze when he arrived home for lunch. His wife, Lori, arrived later, Frost said.

Frost said he didn’t know what caused the fire. However, he said a state fire investigator was en route to try and determine that. Frost didn’t know if the building and its contents were insured.

A saw mill owned and operated by Gallan was far enough away from the garage to escape damage, Frost said.

Frost also called for Hebron and Buckfield firefighters, while tanker truck crews set up a water shuttle from 2.5 miles away, because there was no adequate water source on scene.

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He said when firefighters first arrived, they were met by heavy fire and smoke, and intense heat that blackened one side of the nearby two-story house. The heat melted swings on a swing set in front of the garage.

Firefighters attacked the flames and kept them from jumping to the house.

“Our main concern was saving the house,” Frost said. “The 20 cord of wood is what we’re having a problem with now on the backside. We’re waiting for an excavator to arrive to pull it apart.”

Explosions that were heard during the fire were from inflated tires that blew up, he said.

There was a dump truck inside the garage and many tools.

While firefighters tried to extinguish the fire, two burros in an adjacent field headed for the garage at one point, stepping through an opening in a corral fence.

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People at the home had to corral the burros, which didn’t seem to mind the commotion and getting sprayed with water that overshot the garage. After a short while, they were back in their pasture.

“They’re just as calm as can be,” Frost said.

PACE Ambulance crews also responded, while West Paris firefighters filled in at the Paris fire station.

Firefighters closed both ends of Brett Hill Road at Route 117 to through traffic to allow tanker trucks to take water to a portable holding pool.

Heavy white and brown smoke from the fire could be seen from downtown Paris.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com


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