One person was injured in a fire at 15 Prospect Street in Caribou on Sunday morning as multiple crews respond to put out the blaze.

Building Fire in Caribou

The Caribou Fire & Ambulance Department said they “found heavy fire on the second story, rear side of the building, that quickly spread to other parts of the building” when crews arrived on the scene around 5:26 am.

Caribou Fire & Ambulance Department
Caribou Fire & Ambulance Department
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Building was Unsafe to Enter

The owner of the building confirmed that all occupants were out of the structure. “Due to the building being declared unsafe for entry on account of structural integrity from a previous inspection prior to this incident, crews initiated a defensive attack on the fire.  An excavator was used for overhaul to extinguish fire trapped in spaces in the building,” said the Caribou Fire Department.

Caribou Fire & Ambulance Department
Caribou Fire & Ambulance Department
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Cause of Fire

The Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office said “the cause was determined to be from smoking material used on a mattress.” The building was a total loss.

Caribou Fire & Ambulance Department
Caribou Fire & Ambulance Department
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One Person Injured

One person suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital and released after treatment. There were no fatalities. The Red Cross was called to help displaced individuals.

Five Hours to Put Out Fire

Multiple departments worked for almost 5 hours and used 200,000 gallons of water to put out the fire.

Mutual Aid

Mutual aid was provided from the Presque Isle Fire Department, the Washburn Fire & Rescue, the Limestone Vol. Fire Department, Fort Fairfield Fire Rescue, the Caribou Police Department, Soderberg Construction Company, Mark's Towing Service, Bessie Gray Memorial United Methodist Church and Versant Power.

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