HOPE — An investigation remains open into the cause of a fire that leveled a workshop, early Friday morning, on Route 105, in Hope.

Likely, the cause will remain undetermined, according to Hope Fire Chief Clarence Keller, Tuesday, June 18.

An investigator from the Fire Marshal’s Office assessed the debris of a one-story garage at 360 Camden Road following the 2 a.m. fire. The garage was used as a workshop, primarily by the father of the property owner, William Russell. However, according to Keller, the workshop then sat idle, for the most part, for several years.

Russell was notified of the fire by Keller the same day.

Though the town of Hope supports a population of 1,536 individuals (Town of Hope website: 2010 census), the land within its borders stretches 23.8 square miles. Because of this, Hope Fire Department is a part of two mutual aid first-call agreements, according to Keller.

For emergencies on one side of Hope, Rockport and Union assist.

For emergencies on the other side, as in the case of the Route 105 fire, Lincolnville and Camden respond. (And sometimes firefighters with other towns come on their own)

HOPE — A structure fire in Hope, early Friday morning, was so involved by the time the first firefighters arrived on scene that the power lines had already detached from the building.

In response to the June 14, 2:10 a.m., dispatch from the Knox County Communications Center, firefighters from Hope, Lincolnville, Rockport and Camden raced toward an orange glow in the sky above 360 Camden Road (Rt. 105).

Had Hope’s Engine 1, based out of the Hope Corner station, been in service in time for the call, efforts to save the workshop used by a former property owner would still have resulted the same, according to Hope Fire Chief Clarence Keller.

The workshop, in the style of an older-model garage, on the property that no longer is lived upon, was a total loss.

“The Camden units were protecting the exposure, which is about all we could do in the beginning – with the amount of fire that we had in the beginning,” said Keller.

In the span of three hours, Lincolnville firefighters pumped water from Hobbs Pond, at Barnestown Road, and hauled the fluid approximately two miles to scene. From there, Camden FD units managed the pump pool and directed the water into the hoses used by other Lincolnville and Hope personnel.

Standing by in the light drizzle, just in case, were a Waldo County Sheriff’s Deputy (who should have been off-duty), and Union Ambulance emergency medical technicians covering for North East Ambulance Services, which were tied up with other calls. The assistance of the two standbys was not needed.

The EMTs’ detail was terminated shortly before 5 a.m.

All mutual aid units were clear of the scene by approximately 6:15 a.m. Hope units continued to remain on scene, though the road has reopened.

At some point Friday, Chief Keller will be in contact with an investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s Office, according to Keller. Their phone conversation will further determine whether an investigation is necessary.

“There’s nothing suspicious at this point,” said Keller.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com