Old Town Mill Fire Caused by Boiler Igniting ‘Smudge,’ Spokeswoman Says

 

Multiple crews responded Monday morning to a fire at the Nine Dragons Paper mill in Old Town.

One of the mill’s boilers, No. 5, ignited some “smudge” in the vent going to the roof, causing the fire, an ND Paper spokeswoman told NEWS CENTER Maine.

Earlier, the spokeswoman said the fire was “believed to have started from some dried up debris that started smoldering.”

Exactly what ignited the fire and how it happened both remained under investigation just after noontime Monday.

No injuries were reported, according to the spokeswoman.

It was a “small fire contained to a very small area,” said Old Town’s Public Safety Director, Scott Wilcox. “These are things that are likely to happen when you’re restarting something like the mill. It was isolated, knocked down quickly, and we’re all done.”

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