CAMDEN — It took some time, and requiredfour Camden firefighters crawling through a dark basement crawl space near Camden Harbor at 2 a.m., but the source of smoke that drew Camden, Hope, Lincolnville and Rockport fire departments to Bay View Street in the middle of the night was finally discovered.

Camden Firefighter Earl Holte came upon heat tape wrapped around old fiberglass insulation that covered a water pipe. The wiring was old and arcing, causing the insulation to smolder, sending smoke up through the first floor, and to the second floor apartment that looks out of Camden Harbor at 58 Bay View Street.

At around 1 a.m. in the early hours of March 22, the apartment residents awoke to the smell of light smoke. The couple tried to the determine the cause but were unsuccessful, called 911, and evacuated their home with their dog. While the smoke had made its way to the second floor, most of it was settling in the first floor of the old wooden structure, home to offices.

At 1:14 a.m., a mutual aid call for a possible structure fire in Camden was made by Knox Regional Communications Center in Rockland, and area firefighters set into action. Lincolnville and Rockport stood by on Bay View Street to assist, while Hope firefighters manned the Camden Fire Station. 

For the next 90 minutes, firefighters climbed through the various floors, searching for the cause. Then Assistant Fire Chief Andrew Lowe, along with firefighters Matt Heath, Andrew Skrivanich and Holte descended to the crawl space, a warren of pipes and low headroom.

That’s where they found the old yellow insulation smoldering. Whoever had originally wrapped the pipe and plugged the wire into a power outlet had done so prior to requirements for the installation of a ground fault interrupter, said Camden Fire Chief Chris Farley. A GFI would have broken the current, he said.

A blessing, perhaps, was the presence of a nearby copper pipe carrying water, and which had spring a small leak, said Farley. That acted like a mini sprinkler system, keeping the fiberglass insulation somewhat wet.

At 2:45 a.m., firefighters cleared the scene, with all four towns heading back home. 

Farley emphasized fire precautions: Close bedroom doors when you go to bed to control air flow and compartmentalize space to hinder the spread of fire. And, close doors behind you when you evacuate.