SOMERVILLE — A fire on Marus Lane with an unknown origin is thought to have burned about 1 acre of land Monday, officials said.
Whitefield Fire Department, Washington Fire Department, Jefferson Fire Department and Windsor Fire Department helped Somerville put the blaze out in just over two hours. The call for the fire was made at about noon on Monday and responders had cleared the scene by 2:30 p.m.
Somerville Fire Chief Mike Dostie said he called in mutual aid when he heard the fire was in close proximity to a structure. With the high wind gusts, he wasn’t sure which way the fire might spread.
Dostie said officials are unsure how the fire started, but said it is not considered suspicious.
“Even the ranger doesn’t know with all the rain,” Dostie said about what might have caused the fire. “They didn’t have an outside fire going and they (the homeowners) were getting ready to go to the town office when the brother smelled smoke.”
Dosite hypothesized the fire could have started from a glass window on an “old building that was torn down” near the site. He said sometimes glass can act as a “magnifying glass” when the sun hits it in the right direction.
Dostie pointed out that despite the large amount of rain and flooding the central Maine area received a week ago, the wildfire danger level is currently categorized as “high,” which he contributed to the wind gusts that makes the area dry.
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