Officials determine possible cause of fire at Belfast potato processing facility
BELFAST, Maine (WABI) - Officials have determined the possible cause of last week’s fire at the Penobscot McCrum facility.
The Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office says while they will never know for sure, they believe it could have been a spontaneous combustion of leftover food product or a mechanical issue that sparked the accidental fire.
They say it was located at the end of the conveyor belt that runs through the fryer.
It then spread through the exhaust venting system into the space between the ceiling and the roof, which is located above the fire suppression system.
This chain of events allowed the fire to extend quickly into the rest of the building through that space.
Numerous fire crews were called to the fire at the Penobscot McCrum potato processing facility in Belfast last Thursday morning.
According to officials, eight employees were working at the time of the fire but were able to evacuate the building.
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