Fire Damages Garage at a Home in Houlton [UPDATE]

The Houlton Fire Department responded to a report of a fire in a residential area of Houlton Thursday night.

According to Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone, fire crews were called to 5 Johnson Street at 8:48 p.m. after a report of a structure fire. While fire crews were en-route, another call came in with a report of an explosion at the same address.

When firefighters arrived on scene with three pieces of equipment, they found the attached garage of the home fully engulfed in flames and that the roof of the garage had collapsed. They then called in more fire fighting apparatus.

Twenty-four Houlton firefighters battled the blaze, got it under control and cleared the scene by 11 p.m. Crews were able to keep the fire from spreading to the adjoining house, but the garage was destroyed.

Chief Cone says that the home is owned by Thomas Lowery, and no one was home at the time of the blaze.

Houlton Ambulance did respond to the scene, though there were no injuries.

Chief Cone also said that during their fire suppression efforts, they found items that led them to call the Houlton Police Department and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Officials are working to determine the exact cause of the fire, and the investigation continues.