Blackfly Firewood at 982 Alna Rd., in Alna, a business that provides kiln dried firewood, green firewood, and seasoned firewood, was the scene of a fire reported at 7:19 a.m., Friday, Nov. 21. The fire departments of Alna, Newcastle, and Wiscasset worked together to put out the flames.
The kiln used to dry firewood was the source, Wiscasset Fire Chief T.J. Merry told The Lincoln County News. The fire is believed to have broken out in the kiln the previous evening. Blackfly Firewood owner Louis Brown told first responders he had checked the kiln at 7 p.m. and it appeared to be functioning properly.
However, there were an estimated two to three cords of wood in the kiln that continued burning throughout the night, Merry said. Wiscasset dispatched an engine and a 1,800 gallon water tanker.
According to Newcastle Fire Chief Clayton Huntley, Newcastle dispatched a 2,000 gallon water tanker.
Alna Fire Chief Mike Trask told The Lincoln County News two engines, one a pumper engine, and 12 members of Alna’s volunteer fire department responded to the scene.
It took Alna, Wiscasset, and Newcastle fire departments between one to two hours to contain the fire. Approximately 3,000 gallons of water was needed to put out the flame.
“The worst part was getting the stuff out of the kiln to get the fire out,” Trask said.
Merry echoed that in a separate interview and said the kiln was totaled.
Louis Brown could not be reached for a comment. However, a voicemail at Blackfly Firewood stated that as of Friday, Nov. 21, the company would no longer be taking orders for kiln dried firewood. Green firewood, however, was still available.
