Portland firefighters extinguished a fire in a trash container alongside 261 Commercial St., a large building that houses the MEMIC insurance agency, on Friday around 3 p.m. Although the fire was extinguished quickly, it produced a large amount of smoke that got into the building and spread through the Old Port, said Fire Chief Jerome Lamoria.
Firefighters used fans to vent smoke from inside the building, Lamoria said. Officials do not know what caused the fire, but Lamoria said it did not appear suspicious.
Portland firefighters extinguish a fire in a trash container alongside 261 Commercial St. on Friday afternoon. Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer
The call came moments after a fire at an apartment at 9 Cedar St. and while personnel were responding to several medical calls, Lamoria said.
None of the incidents were major, but having them all occur at the same time did stress the department’s resources, he said.
The fire on Cedar Street was in the wall of an apartment. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Nobody was hurt. The fire was put out quickly, but damaged the apartment’s interior wall and a portion of an exterior wall.
Portland Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Neat talks on his radio while looking out the window of a damaged apartment at 9 Cedar St. on Friday. David Hench/Staff Writer
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