Hannaford Supermarket plans to landscape parcel after clearing burn pile

Sun, 03/24/2013 - 11:30pm

Holly S. Edwards

A snowman, built by Lincolnville firefighters Brandon Allen, Orin Todd and Nathaniel Boehmer, following training evolutions Sunday afternoon, appears to be waving goodbye to the former Lotus Restaurant on Route 1 in Camden as it burns to the ground at the request of property owner Hannaford Supermarkets. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Setting up for Sunday night's burning of Lotus required running a line under Conway Road via a drainage culvert. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Some cordage tied to the drainage cover and the water line made it a cinch to reconnect it to the hydrant for Sunday night' fire. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Utilizing the drainage culvert allowed fire trucks and pumpers to use the road without fear of running over a water line. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

The final connection is made. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Soon, it was time to light the fire and get the building burning. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Camden Fire Department's Safety Officer Jeff Weymouth (Photo by Lynda Clancy)

Off to another call, but just a fire alarm, and Engine 4 was quickly back at the scene. (Photo by Lynda Clancy)

(Photo by Lynda Clancy)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Aaron Annis)

(Photo by Lynda Clancy)

Setting up for Sunday night's burning of Lotus required running a line under Conway Road via a drainage culvert. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Some cordage tied to the drainage cover and the water line made it a cinch to reconnect it to the hydrant for Sunday night' fire. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Utilizing the drainage culvert allowed fire trucks and pumpers to use the road without fear of running over a water line. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

The final connection is made. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Soon, it was time to light the fire and get the building burning. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Camden Fire Department's Safety Officer Jeff Weymouth (Photo by Lynda Clancy)

Off to another call, but just a fire alarm, and Engine 4 was quickly back at the scene. (Photo by Lynda Clancy)

(Photo by Lynda Clancy)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Aaron Annis)

(Photo by Lynda Clancy)

CAMDEN — For more than a month, area firefighters have been training inside the former Lotus Restaurant on Route 1 in Camden, property owned by Hannaford Supermarkets and donated to the town in exchange for burning it to the ground.

After prepping the building and removing the more caustic materials and wiring, Camden Fire Chief Chris Farley and Rockland Fire Chief Charlie Jordan guided firefighters from Camden, Hope, Lincolnville and Rockport through a series of controlled fires inside the building March 24.

A day earlier, the same group practiced search and rescue skills and firefighter-down techniques, among other important training.

Following Sunday's multi-evolutions, a break and a safety briefing, Camden firefighters set up a safety perimeter around the property and lit a final fire at 6:49 p.m. This time, there was no attack team to go in to put it out. They just let it burn, starting at one end and naturally making its way through to the east end of the building, toward John Street and the Subway deli.

Local residents gathered around all four sides of the building, with a large contingent on the edge of the Hannaford parking lot, to watch the spectacle as it slowly grew into a controlled inferno. Windows eventually popped and shattered, and periodically small explosions could be heard from inside the building as various components gave way, crashed to the ground or succumbed to the intense heat and roaring flames.

It took more than three hours for the entire building to be razed by fire. Later in the week, Hannaford's hired excavator will pick through and remove the charred debris, including its foundation. Eventually, Hannaford plans to landscape and reseed the ground, with no immediate plans for building anything new to replace the building that had been there since 1970.

This story will be updated with more photos and videos later. Thanks Aaron Annis for sharing your photos!

• Big burn: Camden firefighters ignite Lotus Restaurant Sunday evening

Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards can be reached by email at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com or by calling 207-706-6655.