A garage and powerboat were destroyed in a late afternoon blaze on Rt. 27 in Boothbay June 5.
According to Boothbay Fire Chief Dick Spofford, an overheated riding lawn mower is thought to be the cause of the fire after the homeowner, Frank Redman, parked the mower in his garage shortly before 4 p.m.
“Just something brewing inside the mower I guess,” said Spofford. “It’s hard to tell exactly what it was, could have even been a mouse.”
Spofford said the fire quickly spread from the garage to the woods behind the house but firefighters were able to contain the blaze before it spread too deeply. Spofford said the fire was under control in roughly 10 minutes.
In addition to the 20-foot powerboat, three kayaks were destroyed. Officials reported no injuries in the incident.
The fire departments of Edgecomb, Boothbay Harbor, and Southport Island all provided support as part of mutual aid assistance.
