Fire tears through Moosehead Mill property

MONSON — Fire struck the Moosehead Mill property in Monson on Saturday, Aug. 8, destroying buildings at the site that employed generations of furniture-making residents from town and the region into the early 21st century.

Monson Deputy Fire Chief Terry Gaudet told Newscenter Maine that mill owners had a permit to burn debris but the fire got out of control and spread to buildings, at least three of which were a total loss.

A post on the Monson, Maine Facebook page  said that at 6:45 p.m. a call went out about a wildland fire in town, with smoke visible from Borestone Mountain. 

“Responding fire fighters knew immediately from the large cloud of black smoke that the fire was more than a wildfire,” the post said. “Upon arrival they found that the former Moosehead Mill was fully engulfed.”

Mutual aid was called in. Fire departments from throughout Piscataquis County and some from Penobscot County responded with every available engine, tanker, and ladder truck called for the industrial structure fire. Around 20 departments responded, including as far away as Hudson with the call upgraded to a fifth alarm.

Crews worked together to battle the blaze into the early morning hours. At one point, the fire spread to the nearby grass and woods but was quickly stopped there. Efforts were focused back on the buildings, preventing further damage to the area and to prevent it from reaching neighboring homes.

Power outages related to the fire were reported in both Monson and neighboring Elliotsville Township.

At 10 a.m. on Sunday Aug. 9 the Monson Fire Department was requested to return to the scene and continue extinguishing fires and dumping water on the smoldering remains. As before, mutual aid was requested from nearby towns to help reach areas that were untouchable with the equipment that Monson has in its fleet. Crews spent another day at the site in the smoke and sweltering temperatures.

Moosehead was a major employer in the region for decades. Many people worked there or had friends and family who did, the post said. Fire was always a concern.

“These buildings were originally built by the Monson Slate Company, and they were mining slate from the 1870s up through probably the 1940s. In the late ’40s, this became Moosehead Manufacturing, where they made furniture. Very difficult to watch. It was such a sad end, really,” Glenn Poole, president of the Monson Historical Society, said to CBS 13..

Poole said the property remained mostly unused since Moosehead Manufacturing closed in 2007 after six decades.

“Thankfully this fire occurred after the mill had been closed so no lives or jobs were lost in the process,” the town’s post said. “A piece of Monson’s history is gone, but thanks to the hard-working men and women who showed up it didn’t spread beyond the property. Many thanks to all of the emergency responders who arrived that evening as well as the next day. We are thankful for the men and women who show up when we need it the most. This situation wasn’t good, but it could have been much worse if not for their fast response and dedication to our communities.”

Tankers were filled to close to 200 times with precision and no bottle neck, a post on the Guilford Fire & Rescue Facebook page said. “There were no serious injuries despite some departments never (having) worked with each other before, but the training and professionalism of the crews made the work seamless. We would like to thank all the crews that were involved and we cannot say enough praise to our dispatch centers in Piscataquis and Penobscot counties on an excellent job.”

One firefighter suffered minor injuries, according to CBS 13. 

The Piscataquis County Emergency Management Agency also thanked the dispatch center for an incredible job on its Facebook page.

“With the major fire in Monson, along with all of the other unrelated calls continuing to come in, our dispatchers have been handling an unbelievable workload while remaining calm, professional, and focused,” the post said. Every call represents someone who needs help, and behind every response is a dispatcher working hard to make sure the right resources get where they need to be.

“To our dispatchers: thank you. Your work often happens behind the scenes, but it is absolutely critical. Nights like tonight are a reminder of just how much you do and how much our communities rely on you.

Please know that your dedication does not go unnoticed. You are doing an incredible job. Piscataquis County Dispatchers: thank you for everything you’re doing tonight, and for everything you do every day and every night, 24/7, to keep our communities safe and make sure help is there when people need it.”

Another post from Piscataquis EMA post acknowledged firefighters fighting the blaze throughout the night. 

“We are incredibly grateful for their courage, dedication and willingness to put themselves in harm’s way to protect our communities,” the post said.

“A special thank you as well to Jonathan Pullen, one of the Monson selectmen for making sure the crews have cases of water and plenty of pizza to keep them fueled through the long night. This is what community looks like — people coming together to support those who are working tirelessly to keep others safe.”

The Bangor Daily News’ Wendy Watkins contributed to this story.