Fire Destroys Businesses, Apartments on Main Street in Fort Kent

Firefighters from several communities battled high winds Monday as a fire on Main Street in Fort Kent destroyed a building that housed several small businesses and apartments.

The Fort Kent Fire Department responded to the blaze at 273 West Main Street around 1:30 p.m.

Fire Chief Ed Endee told the Fiddlehead Focus that the two-story structure was fully involved when crews began working to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters from Frenchville, St. Francis, Eagle Lake, Madawaska and North Lakes Fire and Rescue provided mutual aid.

Wind gusts over 30 mph created a challenge in keeping the fire from spreading to neighboring buildings. Temperatures stayed in the single numbers throughout the afternoon as a thick layer of glare ice built up in the street.

The Fort Kent school department provided a bus as a warming station for firefighters.

Crews remained on scene into the evening on Monday. The building was considered a total loss.

The owners, Tracey and Evelyn Hartt, operated Performance Printing and Designs and Tangles Beauty Salon in the building. Two other businesses that rented space inside were Skin Deep by Jillian and SJV Recovery and Behavioral Health Services.

There’s no word yet on how many tenants were displaced from the apartments. No one was injured.

A nearby business, Aroostook Real Estate, was reported to have sustained some minor damage in the fire.

Chief Endee said the blaze started in a wood stove but it was too early to know for sure exactly how it happened, according to the Fiddlehead Focus.

A Go Fund Me Page has been set up to help those affected by the Fort Kent fire.