WATERVILLE — Fire heavily damaged a community support services agency and attached apartment building Saturday night, leaving one person homeless and damaging both structures, according to fire officials.

Addison Point Agency, which is two buildings north of the Waterville fire station on College Avenue, started burning around 6 p.m. when a crew was doing work on its roof, according to Waterville fire Capt. Rodney Alderman, who was at the scene.

“A crew was working on the roof and apparently has a permit to do construction on the roof and was running a saw, and the saw sparked the fire,” Alderman said.

A strong wind blew as firefighters from several area towns worked at the scene and spectators lined the sidewalks. By about 7:40 p.m., the fire was out.

Alderman said the wind-driven fire spread from the roof of the Addison Agency to the three-story apartment building, which is attached to the back of the agency building and sits back from the road.

Alderman said wind caused the fire to spread from the Addison Agency’s roof to the apartment building roof and into the eaves and attic of the third floor of the apartment building. Then fire spread into the walls and ceiling of the second floor, he said.

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“There was one person living on the third floor who is displaced,” Alderman said, adding that the American Red Cross was helping the man.

He said that no one was hurt in the fire.

Waterville police blocked College Avenue off to traffic from about the post office on College Avenue to the fire station, just south of Union Street.

Firefighters from Waterville, Winslow, Oakland, Fairfield and Clinton worked at the scene and Vassalboro firefighters covered the Waterville station. Delta Ambulance was on scene, as was the Skowhegan Fire Department’s Rapid Intervention Team, Alderman said. In emergency situations with mutual aid and automatic response at large fires, various departments are assigned by the local command staff to specific duties — direct action firefighting, ventilation, water supply setup, looking for hot spots, debris removal and rapid intervention. Skowhegan is the rapid intervention team for this fire.

A sign on the Addison Agency said it has been a family-operated nonprofit agency since 1988.

Amy Calder — 861-9247

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acalder@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @AmyCalder17

 

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow


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