BANGOR — A fire swept through the Family Dollar store at 89 State St. on Monday morning, heavily damaging the discount retail establishment.
Thick, black smoke was pouring out of the front of the business at the intersection of State Street and Broadway when firefighters arrived.
The blaze was reported shortly before 10:30 a.m., Bangor Assistant Fire Chief Anthony Riitano said at the scene.
No employees or firefighters were injured, according to Riitano. Employees and customers in the store quickly evacuated the building.
The assistant chief said a Bangor fire department plow truck was driving in the area, saw the smoke and firefighters were subsequently notified.
Riitano said stocked shelves inside the store made getting to the fire difficult.
“You have to move everything out of the way to get to the fire,” Riitano said.
Riitano said he had yet to speak to an owner or manager, and a cause has not been determined. The State Fire Marshal’s office has been notified, and Riitano expected crews to be performing overhaul work for much of Monday afternoon.
The assistant chief said there’s no indication as to where in the store the fire started. Crews had the blaze under control in about 15 to 20 minutes.
State Street traffic was blocked at the Broadway intersection throughout the morning and the area was expected to remain closed Monday afternoon as crews continued to work at the scene.
Brewer firefighters assisted at the scene while Hampden and Hermon covered Bangor’s station.
Family Dollar opened at the State Street location in August 2004, according to BDN archives. The store employed 7 or 8 full-time employees at the time. The 11,000-square-foot building previously housed a Rite Aid pharmacy.
The Matthews, N.C.-based retailer operates 8,100 stores in 46 states, according to its website, including 35 in Maine. The company recently announced its shareholders had approved an $8.5 billion merger with Dollar Tree Inc. It announced last year it would close 370 stores nationwide, but did not indicate where the closures would take place.
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