BLUE HILL — A fire destroyed a barn at 513 Ellsworth Road in Blue Hill in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving. The call came in shortly before 1 a.m.
The Blue Hill Fire Department first responded to the scene, where it was assisted by the volunteer fire departments of Brooklin, Sedgwick and Surry which responded for mutual aid.
The owners of the property, Harry and Jennifer Osborn, were in their nearby home at the time of the fire. They and their pets were unharmed.
“The call came in to us at about 12:50 in the morning,” said Blue Hill Fire Chief Matt Dennison.
Members of the Blue Hill Fire Department responded to the call in less than 10 minutes, arriving at the scene at roughly 1 a.m. Dennison said that the fire was put out at around 2 a.m., but firefighters stayed for several hours to make sure the scene was under control.
“Blue Hill was probably there until 4:30 a.m., the rest [of the responding fire departments] probably left at about 3 a.m.,” Dennison said.
The fire caused extensive damage to the property. The barn, which was used for storage and as an artist’s studio, was completely destroyed, along with everything inside it. Additionally, several outbuildings on the property were destroyed as well.
“The barn was a total loss,” said Dennison. “There was a chicken house storage building that burned, as well as a little greenhouse too.”
The home on the property did not catch fire, however, being in close proximity to the burning barn did cause some exterior damage.
“Some heat damage to the windows,” Dennison said.
The cause of the fire has not yet been officially determined, but the Blue Hill Fire Department suspects a wood stove in the barn was to blame.
“The Fire Marshal’s office was investigating it, but we believe that it was a wood stove or chimney malfunction,” said Dennison.
The chief said he expects to have a finding from the State Fire Marshal on the official cause of the fire within a week’s time.
Reporter Malachy Flynn covers news on the Schoodic beat, which includes the towns of Eastbrook, Franklin, Hancock, Sorrento, Sullivan, Trenton, Waltham, and Winter Harbor. He also reports on the town of Tremont on Mount Desert Island. He welcomes tips and suggestions. about stories in the area.
