Clarification: Property owner David Jacoby said May 7 that the fire occurred in a building on the property that was not used for business purposes.

WARREN — (May 3, 2021) In the world of powder coating, coatings for automotive parts can be cured by being baked in an oven. At temperatures of 300 – 400 degrees, the curing can take around 30 minutes, depending on the oven setting. Some ovens are run at much higher temps.

On Sunday, May 2, the owner of Dave J’s Powder Coating, in Warren, commenced a bake job before heading into his non-adjacent home. At the time that the oven should be turned off, his wife would return to the shop to check the status, according to Warren Fire Chief Greg Andrews. That’s when the fire was discovered, setting into motion firefighters from Warren, Union, and Waldoboro.

No one was hurt in this fire that fully engulfed a garage-like shop – built by the owner in 2016 – and scorched a boat, melted some plastic on a camper, and burned the roof of a woodshed.

Starting in an east corner of the shop, adjacent to a small addition that the owner recently constructed, flames spread rapidly through the floor joists and rafters. When the rafters burned, the metal roof sagged inwards and a few pieces broke away. With the integrity of the structure compromised, leading to safety concerns for firefighters, hoses were aimed inward from the exterior.

Inside were a couple of 30-pound propane cylinders, along with oxygen and acetylene, according to Andrews. Also inside were vehicles, sand blasting equipment, compressors and tools to apply the powder coating.

While some firefighters took turns bearing the weight of the hoses, others kept the water supply line in motion, driving to Payson Pond, a 2.5 mile round-trip route.

The cause of fire is believed to be an oven malfunction, according to Andrews.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com

WARREN (May 2) — A garage used as a small home business in Warren caught fire Sunday afternoon, prompting a response by firefighters from Warren, Union, and Waldoboro.

All occupants were outside of Dave J’s Powdercoating, an automotive customization shop at 169 Patterson Mill Road, by the time the first of responders arrived on scene Sunday, May 2, following the approximate 1:40 p.m. alert from Knox Regional Communications Center. 

Thick skyward-rising black smoke could be seen from routes 90 and 131 as firefighters tackled the flames within the 1.5-story structure and an adjacent boat. 

Crews began rolling up hoses around 3:25 p.m. The last fire units were back at their stations by 4:20 p.m.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com