LINCOLNVILLE — It’s been an especially busy two days and nights for Midcoast firefighters, who have had to respond to persistent reports of downed trees, limbs and utility wires during the ice storm Monday and Tuesday. Added to the mix have been three fully involved structure fires, one caused by a fallen candle and the other by a unattended wood stove, both at homes without power. Christmas Eve brought the latest fire to bear, when a garage caught fire at 46 Youngtown Road in Lincolnville.

Lincolnvile Fire Department was called out to the fully involved garage fire at Bill Feener’s residence at 8:19 p.m. Dec. 24, and mutual aid summoned Camden and Hope fire departments to assist.

Fire Chief Ben Hazen said that Feener told him he had a generator running inside the garage and when he came home tonight, he discovered the generator was on fire and tried to pull it out of the building.

“He said he tried to pull it outside, but it was too late, it had already caught the wall on fire and he left it at that and then he called 911,” said Hazen. “At the same time he was calling, a neighbor across the street was calling 911.”

Lincolnville firefighters were quick on the scene, but unfortunately the fire was faster and already well underway by the time the first line was dropped and water put to the fire. As the firefighters and a North East Mobile Health Services ambulance crew began arriving on scene, neighbors were calling in reports to 911 of loud explosions, one of which occurred just as the ambulance pulled up to the residence.

Hazen said he conferred with Feener and was told he had some .22-caliber ammunition stored on a shelf in the garage, along with some fireworks he had purchased.

Firefighters were able to knock down the fire in the garage, located approximately 10-feet from a residence, within minutes and Hope Fire Department was staged at the end of Youngtown Road for the duration of the call.

Hazen said the building was a total loss, and that Feener, who had no insurance on the garage, lost tools, an air compressor and other items he used to work on cars and such. Hazen said the garage was for personal use, not commercial work.

Lincolnville had 16 firefighters at the call, with approximately eight firefighters from Camden and give from Hope.

By 9:20 p.m., all of the firefighters had cleared the scene and returned to their stations to clean equipment and reset hose lines on the engines.

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Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards can be reached at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com or 706-6655.