BAR HARBOR, Maine — A small fire in Acadia National Park was likely human-caused according to park officials, Wednesday.
The small fire on Acadia National Park property Tuesday in the Cleftstone Road area of Bar Harbor was reported around 4:45 p.m.
“We believe the fire was human caused,” Management Assistant John T. Kelly said.
Bar Harbor Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire.
“An individual was reported being seen in the area just before smoke was observed, but park rangers were unable to locate the person,” Kelly said.
The fire burned an area in the park less than 4 square feet and approximately 20 feet from West Street Extension. Park officials did not say if the fire was intentional.
The fire was in the Cleftstone area of West Street Extension just past the park’s entrance gates, just inside the wood line, near the base of a tree.
A string of fires in 18 months in 2023 and 2024 on St. Sauveur Mountain, also within the park, have been linked to a Trenton man, according to federal court records and an unsealed search warrant request in the U.S. District Court of Maine in Bangor in February.
Kelly said he did not have information to share on the pending court case concerning those alleged arsons in the park.
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