Accidental Fire In Vassalboro, Maine, Damages Unoccupied Farm House Authorities Say

A fire that broke out in an unoccupied farmhouse in Vassalboro last week has been deemed an accident by the Maine State Fire Marshal's office.

Multiple area Emergency Service agencies helped the Vassalboro Fire Department fight the fire at 1087 Webber Pond Road Friday afternoon, just before 3 PM. Help came from the Winslow, Waterville, Augusta, Chelsea, Sidney, China, and Albion Fire Departments.

The initial call came in that it was a residential structure fire, and when crews showed up on the scene, they encountered a large fire on the outside of a farmhouse on the site. Thankfully, we're told the building was unoccupied.

Firefighters were able to keep the fire and the majority of the damage to the outside of the building. When the fire was extinguished, the Maine State Fire Marshal's Office was called in to investigate where it began and what may have started it.

It was determined that the fire was caused by either a battery or the electrical system of an ATV stored outside.

"Investigators determined the fire to be accidental in nature. The fire originated outside the structure and was caused by a failure in the electrical system or battery of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), which subsequently spread to the exterior of the nearby home."

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We're told the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office, along with the Maine State Police Troopers and the Vassalboro Police Department, aided in the investigation.