Fire Marshal Investigating Fire at Houlton Business

The State Fire Marshal's office is working to determine the cause of a devastating fire Wednesday evening at the Houlton Industrial Park.

The fire at Jackett Enterprises on Aviation Drive destroyed a garage and a smaller storage building along with several vehicles, tools and pieces of equipment.

Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone said a Customs and Border Patrol pilot reported the fire at around 6:15 p.m. as he was attempting to land his helicopter at the Houlton International Airport.

Thick, black smoke could be seen throughout Houlton Wednesday evening, while 28 firefighters from the Houlton Fire Department worked to extinguish the massive blaze. Houlton Police and the Department of Environmental Protection were also called to the site.  Chief Cone said there were 55 gallon drums of fuel oil in the burning building and at times fire balls shot about 100 feet into the air.

The fire destroyed all of the property maintenance equipment inside the garage and storage building, according to owner Blaine Jackett.. A number of vehicles parked nearby, including a small bus, trucks, trailers and boats were moved away in an attempt to reduce the damage.

Firefighters remained on site until around 9:30 p.m.  The buildings were a total loss, Cone said. There were no injuries.  The Fire Marshal will sift through the rubble Thursday in an attempt to discover how the fire started.

Chief Cone said the Jackett Enterprises building served as the Houlton Fire Station back in the 1940's.