A Lewiston firefighter hoses down a chair Wednesday afternoon at 149 College St. in Lewiston after a fire destroyed a garage and spread to the house. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — Two firefighters were treated at a hospital Wednesday for injuries suffered while battling an intense fire at 149 College St.

Lewiston Fire Chief Mark Caron said both firefighters were hurt when the second floor of the burning garage collapsed around them.

Both were treated at the hospital and released soon after.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office, meanwhile, was called to assist with the investigation into the cause of the blaze, which was first reported as a “meth lab explosion.”

Lewiston police are also joining the investigation into the fire that started with an explosion about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Police are involved in large part because over the past year, the house at 149 College St. has been the target of numerous drugs arrests — the house has been raided by police and drug investigators four times in the past nine months alone, resulting in more than a dozen arrests.

When the home went up in flames Wednesday afternoon, several witnesses reported an explosion followed by a rush of flames from the garage. The roof collapsed soon after firefighters arrived and began battling the fire.

In the end, the attached barn-style garage was destroyed by flames. The remnants of it were torn down by city officials Wednesday night.

The house was damaged by fire, according to Chief Caron, but the damage was limited to the walls attached to the garage.

The house is not habitable, Caron said. It was released to the property owners, who were securing the building to prevent trespassers.

As fire crews fought the blaze, they contended with mounds of garbage and other items that filled the burning garage. Neighbors said the owners of the property had been hauling trash out of the garage in recent days, but much of the debris remained when the building went up in flames.

A week before the fire, Lewiston code officials had issued citations to the owners of the property for health and safety violations. On Tuesday, the city will hold another hearing in hopes of having the 168-year-old home declared a dangerous building.

The house, once the home of a popular natural food and health store, Grateful Earth, could be torn down, although its fate remained unknown Thursday.