An American flag flutters above the warehouse that formerly housed William Smith Enterprises at 147 Somerville Road in Jefferson, while firefighting crews from at least 10 towns work below to quench the fire that consumed part of the building on the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 22. (Molly Rains photo)
A cannabis growing facility was damaged in an accidental fire at 147 Somerville Road in Jefferson on Thursday, Aug. 22, when flames broke out at a heat pump in the building. Nobody was injured in the blaze, which crews fought for about five hours.
The blaze drew 10 fire departments to the former William Smith Enterprises building, which was, unbeknownst to town officials, being used as a cannabis growing facility, according to Jefferson Fire Chief Darin Walker.
A neighbor called 911 at about 12:20 p.m. on Thursday to report smoke spilling from the warehouse’s ventilation system and the sound of crackling coming from within.
The Lincoln County Communications Center paged the Jefferson, Nobleboro, Somerville, Waldoboro, and Whitefield departments to the scene at 12:22 p.m. Fire departments from Newcastle, Pittston, Chelsea, Windsor, and Washington were later called to assist with mutual aid.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office, and Waldoboro EMS also responded to the scene.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire was accidental and started at a heat pump, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss.
Walker said it was unclear whether anyone was inside the building when the fire broke out. Though there were no injuries, some firefighters were evaluated by medical personnel as a precaution after entering the building to fight the fire.
Because the use of the building was not known to the town, firefighters entered the structure unaware of what the building was used for and what it could contain. Typically, firefighters do not enter a cannabis growing facility when it is ablaze, due to the dangers posed by hazardous materials and explosive chemicals sometimes present at such facilities and the possibility of inhalation, according to Walker.
“At first, I had no idea what was in that building,” Walker said. “Finally, somebody came up to me that was affiliated with the building … it became clear that it was a marijuana grow. Once I knew that, I pulled everybody out.”
Walker said a liaison from the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy confirmed the individual who owned the cannabis plants was licensed with the state. The individual does not own the property, Walker said.
No permits were filed for a change-of-use at the site, so the town of Jefferson was unaware about the existence of the growing facility. The building, a former warehouse, is currently owned by Santino Nappi, of Scarborough, according to property tax records.
Though Nappi did not own the plants, as property owner, he would be responsible for filing for a change-of-use with the town, Walker said.
According to Walker, the fact that the town was unaware of the building’s use made an already dangerous situation worse for first responders.
“Some of these grow facilities have chemicals, stuff that can explode, inside the buildings. They use propane, butane, all kinds of chemicals and fertilizers to process this stuff … but we, and the town of Jefferson, knew absolutely nothing about that facility at all,” he said.
After firefighters exited the building, they continued to battle the blaze from outside, utilizing the Waldoboro Fire Department’s ladder truck to reach the flaming roof of the three-story building.
The fire burned for hours and the scene was ultimately cleared at 5:30 p.m.
“Part of the roof burned off and the makeshift room inside of the warehouse that was where the marijuana was was destroyed,” Walker said.
Walker said first responders discovered two other “makeshift” growing rooms constructed within other wings of the warehouse on Aug. 22.
Code violations at the scene, he said, meant that a fire was almost inevitable.
“It’s not if these types of things happen, it’s when,” he said.
