Fire crews from several towns battle a fire March 7 at the former Elan School at 70 Number Five Road in Poland. The Office of the State Fire Marshal is investigating it as arson. Poland Fire Rescue photo

POLAND — The latest fire at the former Elan School is being investigated as arson, and the Office of State Fire Marshal is asking the public for assistance.

The latest fire March 7 leveled the former dining hall at the defunct school at 70 Number Five Road and is the third fire to be investigated by the state since one of the school buildings was destroyed by a blaze in November.

The fire marshal’s office said another fire there March 1 is also under investigation. On its Facebook page Monday, the office asked for public assistance, and that any information or observations should be sent to Sgt. Mary-Ann MacMaster at the Office of State Fire Marshal.

The private school for troubled teens was opened in 1970 by Gerald Davidson, a psychiatrist, and Joe Ricci, a former drug addict who was familiar with drug treatment programs and an advocate of Elan’s controversial tactics.

The school closed in April 2011 due to declining enrollment after several allegations and testimonies of abuse surfaced over the years.

In 2016, Maine State Police investigated the 1982 death of Elan School student Phil Williams Jr., a 15-year-old who witnesses say died after he was forced to fight in a boxing match with another student.

Filmmaker Todd Nilssen, a former student at Elan, made a documentary about the school called “The Last Stop,” which explored the conditions under which students were allegedly treated.

The property was sold in 2015 to local retired veterinarian Stephen Kinney, who lives nearby on Colbath Road.