WARREN — Members of the Martin family of Warren stood in disbelief Monday morning, looking at what remained of the family farmhouse and barn that went back nine generations.

"We were trying to be the 10th generation here," said Alan Martin, whose wife, Laurie, stood nearby. "Everything is gone, but I guess the memories are not."

Staring at the charred timbers, broken windows and the water-soaked debris-filled hole that had been a root cellar, among other things, everybody but Uncle Herbert "Bert" Martin was visibly teary-eyed. It's not that he wasn't sad, more likely in shock. Stoic, and in shock, and definitely reliving the memories, like his nephew, Alan nearby.

"We never had a fire like this," said the elder Martin, one of seven siblings and one of the two that remain alive of his generation. "It's tragic, and a shock, that's for sure."

Warren Fire Department was called around 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, to respond to the Martin Farm deep down Finntown Road, close to the Waldoboro town line. Located on a couple hundred acres, Fire Chief Ed Grinnell said one of his firefighters lives down the road and reported back that flames were shooting out the side of the structure, which Martin estimated was at least 300 hundred years old.

"The ell that connected the house and the barn was fully involved when we got here," said Grinnell. "The wind was pretty fierce and when the fire hit the barn, it was down in a just a few minutes."

Martin Farm sits close to the road, and overlooks a large, expansive and wide open field. Nothing between the field and the buildings to provide a break from the wind as it swept across the grassy earth.

Firefighters and equipment from the towns of Waldoboro and Union were automatically called to the fire with Warren, and Friendship was called as well to assist with bringing more water to the scene.

As the fire continued to burn, Grinnell called for an excavator to help "paw through" the burning debris extending the conflagration.

"A town backhoe arrived, and then Robert Stackpole from Cushing brought up an excavator to knock it down and paw through it," said Grinnell. "We ended up knocking down one of the chimneys too, to keep it from falling and hurting anyone."

Grinnell said they remained on scene until at least 1:30 a.m. At 10:15 a.m., while the family stood by and hugged and talked quietly, a Warren tanker arrived to extinguish a few smoldering hot spots where the barn once stood.

He said that 20 firefighters from Warren responded Sunday night, along with six or seven from each of the other three towns.

Martin said when he arrived at the farmhouse, most recently occupied by his parents, Marjorie and Robert Martin, "There were big flames when I got here." He said nobody was home, that in fact the home had been mostly unoccupied for the past two or three years.

"I've been watching the place," said Martin. "And I just have no idea how this happened."

Grinnell said that family members had been on the property earlier in the day Sunday, but confirmed the cause of the fire has not been determined. He added that the electricity was still on at the property, and Martin said that someone reported fire being seen coming first from the kitchen area.

Reach Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com and 207-706-6655.