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SOUTH THOMASTON — A tenant living above a barn in South Thomaston awoke to the sound of a scream coming from a female voice at street level. One look out his window, and he was on the phone to 9-1-1. Another barn, which he built on the property of Pepper Hill Farm, on Elm Street (Route 73) was fully engulfed in flames. Inside that two and a half story structure were the irreplaceable parts that made up his business.
Long before the midnight fire, Jan. 7, 2024, the tenant had brought his 1989 compost processing equipment from out of state and refitted and modernized the pieces in order to develop the successful entity that he’d created. As he watched the fire bring everything to a permanent halt, he said that while most other compost professions break down organisms into compost in weeks, if not months, he’d developed a way to speed up the process to three and a half days. But now, all that remains are two tank-like structures and a mound of metal siding.
For more than two hours, following the 12:11 a.m., Sunday, alert tone from 9-1-1 that spurred South Thomaston, Rockland, Thomaston, Owls Head, St. George, and Warren firefighters to action, the air around 108 Elm Street echoed with a dull roar as hose water ricocheted off metal and sparks flew. Yet, the loudness of this cacophony could be best appreciated in the random seconds when those hoses fell slack, the voices ceased, and – aside from the low hum of a fire truck nearby – silence hovered over those who could only do so much.
In the end, an excavator was brought in to pull aside long strips of metal siding as a way to expose the smaller flames that lay hidden.
No people or animals were reported to be injured.
Warren, Owls Head, and St. George firefighters were released from the scene just after 3 a.m.
Elm Street was closed between the Keag Store and Buttermilk Lane. All remaining personnel cleared the scene at 4 a.m.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com
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