WARREN, Maine — Three people were taken to the hospital following a fire Thursday morning at a downtown apartment building that is the oldest residence in town.
The three were taken to MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport largely for precautionary reasons.
The fire was reported at 6:04 a.m. at 288 Main St. The building is a three-unit apartment building next to the town library.
There was an initial report of one person having to jump out a window to escape the fire. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office reported that everyone got out of the building.
Warren Fire Chief Gregory Andrews said the cause of the fire was not yet determined. The Maine fire marshal’s office is assisting in the investigation. He said the fire started in one apartment where the damage largely occurred.
Smoke was billowing high into the sky early on in the fire.
Crews from Warren, Thomaston, Union and Waldoboro were on scene. Waldoboro’s ladder truck was being used in the firefighting effort.
At about 7:15 a.m., fire crews reported the fire was largely knocked down. The state fire marshal’s office was contacted.
Main Street downtown was blocked off to vehicle traffic while crews worked. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office was also at the scene.
The property is owned by Leland Boggs II and Valerie Boggs.
According to the town’s assessment records, the building was built in 1870 and has six bedrooms and three full bathrooms. But a plaque on the building states that it is the oldest residence in Warren. The section on the right was constructed in 1787 by the Rev. Thurston Whiting, according to the plaque. The addition to the left was constructed as a boarding house for millworkers in town.
The code enforcement officer said the town has an ordinance that all apartment buildings are inspected every five years and the 288 Main St. building was in line to be inspected but that had not yet been arranged.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.
