AUBURN, Maine — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is now involved in the investigation of an overnight fire that happened at a construction site on Mt. Auburn Avenue in Auburn a few weeks ago.
On Sept. 8, a fire ripped through a construction site located at 138 Mt. Auburn Ave., turning an unfinished 50-unit apartment building into piles of charred wood, bricks, and other debris.
The second apartment building on the site survived the fire with cosmetic damages.
The investigation to determine what caused this construction fire is still ongoing, but with the extent of damage the fire caused, Auburn Fire Chief Robert Chase said many unanswered questions may be buried under the ruins.
"With the extent of damage, we don't know if it can be determined or if it will ever be determined what the cause was," Chase said.
Chase said ATF is assisting the Maine state fire marshal's office in the investigation because ATF has access to additional arson and fire investigation resources.
When asked if it is suspected that the fire was caused by arson, Chase said they are still unsure.
Chase also explained that it's common for ATF to get involved when a fire results in a substantial monetary loss. He explained it may be hard to determine the total cost of what was lost in the fire.
"Part of that is because it was still under construction, which makes it hard for us to estimate that total cost because it was a partially-constructed building," Chases said. "Also, there was equipment from contractors and stuff that was lost as well."
The City of Auburn's Planning and Permitting Director Eric Cousens said he has talked with developers, and despite the setback, they want to rebuild.
"At this point, their site plan is still valid. Their building permit is still valid. So, if they intend to rebuild exactly what they have permit of originally, they could do all of that with the existing permits," Cousens said.
Cousens said he is not sure when developers plan to begin rebuilding.