SOUTH THOMASTON — South Thomaston firefighters used their “jaws of life” equipment in order to gain access to the interior of a vehicle, Saturday morning, after they extinguished a fully engulfed fire in the vehicle near the end of Iron Tree Lane.

Having determined a few minutes prior that no one was in the vehicle, which had crashed into a tree along an unpaved road – allegedly the day before – responders needed access to the interior for extensive saturation of any remaining sparks. 

A property owner who called 911 about the fire, Saturday, Oct. 15, relayed third party information that the single-vehicle crash had occurred on Friday, Oct. 14, and that it had been reported at that time. However, Knox Regional Communications Center hadn’t found any record of that incident at the time of the fire. All anyone knew for sure was that by 5:05 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 15, flames were visible through the tree line, and tires were exploding. 

South Thomaston Fire Chief Bryan Calderwood estimated that the firefighters used 1000 gallons of water to extinguish the blaze.

Due to the extent of damage caused by the fire, the cause is classified as undeterminable, according to Calderwood.

The firefighters began picking up their equipment around 6:15 a.m., and were back at the station by 7 a.m.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com