According to the Maine Fire Marshal's Office on Sept. 18, 2024, the cause of fire continues to be undetermined. Vehicles were kept in the barn.

HOPE — Firefighters encountered a barn completely engulfed in flames on the Ludwig Road, in Hope, Wednesday, Sept. 11, yet the home that some callers to 911 initially reported as being attached to the barn (also referred to at times as a garage) was left untouched by the heavy flames.

The Fire Marshal’s Office is working to determine the cause of the fire, which also burned the fronts of two vehicles that had been parked close to the barn at 207 Ludwig Road. According to Hope Fire Chief Clarence Keller, there is a significant chance that the cause will remain undetermined, and he did not believe the cause to be suspicious.

Thick dark smoke could be seen for miles when the 9:22 a.m. alerts were transmitted to Hope FD and their automatic mutual aid towns of Camden and Lincolnville. Knowing the barn was involved, and being told that an attached house was involved, Keller called upon a Union tanker, and requested that Appleton work water supply at Nash’s farm pond.

According to Keller, firefighters were fortunate that the wind wasn’t strong or blowing in a detrimental direction, though one large tree between the barn and the house is now darkened from heat damage.

“With the wind blowing, that could have been a different story,” he said.

Knowing that the barn was not salvageable and the house was safe, they concentrated first on the two vehicles and the two 300-lb propane tanks in the rear of the barn’s foundation. When Keller arrived, the propane tanks were burning off.

The structure was topped with a metal roof.

“What typically happens, when that burns in, that all falls on top of everything that’s burning,” said Keller. “It causes a lot of difficulty in extinguishing the remaining combustibles. Especially the way this one fell, it was real easy just to come in and have the excavator pick [the metals pieces] up, gently, off the top so that we could start getting water on what remained underneath,” said Keller. “So, hopefully the investigators will be happy when they come and do their investigations.”

One of the Hope firefighters happens to own Ludwig Construction, and fortunately, his excavator happened to be at Hope Corner today and could be used. Though the firefighter lives in Hope, his equipment is sometimes at job sites in other towns.

At 1 p.m., Keller still did not know what was kept in the structure. 

One person was home at the time of the fire. That occupant called 911 to report the fire.

“Nobody was hurt and everybody goes home safe,” said Keller.

Camden firefighters returned to their station around 11:30 a.m. Appleton returned to their station at 2:30 p.m. Hope FD returned just prior to 3 p.m.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com