LEWISTON — Police and fire officials were investigating Thursday night after a pile of trash went up in flames next to a College Street garage.
At about 8:30 p.m., several people called to report a garage up in flames behind an apartment house at 142 College St.
When fire officials arrived, they found a mound of garbage fully engulfed. Crews made quick work of the fire, which neighbors said probably was set.
Police were searching for a young man said to live near the scene of the fire. Neighbors said the man was spotted next to the garage moments before the trash heap went up in flames.
By 9 p.m., fire officials were investigating the cause of the blaze. One College Street man said he heard a small explosion just before flames appeared.
“I was just down the street and heard a loud pop,” he said.
The blaze drew people who had been on nearby sidewalks to escape the heat inside their homes. Police interviewed several of them later Thursday night.
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