Fire destroys Shaw Road Farm

By Nikky Raney
Special to The Piscataquis Observer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Karen and Fred Cookson were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs when a fire completely destroyed their working farm Sunday afternoon.
    “There was nothing anyone could do,” Fire Chief Joe Guyotte said of the fire at 257 Shaw Road. “It was one of the largest barns left in the area built by the Grant family in 1914.”

Observer photo/Keri Foster

    FARM LEVELED BY FIRE – The Shaw Road Farm barn which once was 50 feet tall and 50 feet wide was completely destroyed by a fire Sunday afternoon. A home, owned by Karen and Fred Cookson, was also consumed by the blaze.

    According to Guyotte, Fred Cookson was haying around 3 p.m. when he saw smoke in the rear view mirror  of his pick-up truck. Something beneath the truck caught fire and immediately set the barn and adjacent house ablaze.
    There were around 100 firefighters from 10 fire stations there Sunday afternoon to try to put out the fire. The closest hydrant was two miles away.
    “They lost two cows, 100 chickens and a cat,” Guyotte said. “Not a single thing was saved, not even a handbag.”   
      The Cooksons are grateful to have survived the fire. Fred Cookson told Guyotte, “There are people worse off than me.”
    The Red Cross is currently accepting monetary donations.