By Investigation Continues at Vacant Property
State fire investigators said Friday they were continuing to investigate the cause of a fire at a St. Albans home that was formerly used as a cannabis growing facility. The Office of State Fire Marshal stated in a statement that the fire originated in a rear deck area of the residence at 71 Denbow Road.
Investigators have not yet identified the specific cause of the blaze.
The home was vacant Wednesday when the fire broke out, according to the office. Investigators believe someone had done lawn care work at the property the day prior to the incident. This detail remains a key part of the ongoing inquiry into the origin of the flames.
The St. Albans Fire Department and departments from other area towns responded to the scene around 2:40 p.m. Wednesday.
The home was heavily involved in fire when they arrived, the fire marshal’s office said. Firefighters faced significant challenges during the response to the structure.
Firefighters Face Structural Challenges
An estimated 100,000 gallons of water were brought to the scene and used to fight the fire, the fire department said on social media. This massive volume of water was necessary to contain the intense blaze within the structure. The effort required coordination from multiple local emergency services.
Firefighters were “challenged by the building’s layout and its former use as a marijuana cultivation site, with living spaces located on the second floor,” the fire department said. The interior configuration of the home complicated access for the crews. The presence of former cultivation equipment likely added to the difficulty of the operation.
The structural integrity of the two-story home was compromised by the fire. The layout forced firefighters to navigate through areas not designed for standard residential use. This complexity delayed the full containment of the incident.
Property History and Legal Status
Alexis Soucy, spokesperson for the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy, said via email that nobody is, or has been, licensed or registered to grow marijuana at the address of the residence. This confirms the property operated outside of state regulatory frameworks.
Chief Deputy Mike Mitchell of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office confirmed his agency executed a search warrant at the property in 2024. The bust came amid a law enforcement crackdown on suspected illegal marijuana grow houses. Federal prosecutors at one point said such sites totaled 200 and suggested they could be connected to organized, transnational crime organizations with ties to China.
At the time of the 2024 search, Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster said his investigators found more than 200 mature cannabis plants and trimmings from roughly 1,500 more plants. They also reported finding a black mold infestation as well as hazardous electrical wiring at the site. The two-story home had been almost entirely hollowed out to make way for thousands of plants and industrial-grade heating and lighting equipment.
