MAN AGAINST NATURE--A lone fireman is seen doing battle at Washburn Wednesday night against a $38,000 fire which destroyed a four-floor potato house. Glow from the fire was seen for 10 miles in 23 below zero weather. Structure on left, and other house in a two-house line, was saved by a fire wall and fighter effort. Seven thousand barrels of potatoes burned.
Cold feet and hands were the only human casualties.
More than a score of firemen from two companies could but fight to prevent the fire's spread on the Pressue Isle Road, in 23 below zero weather and 10-mile winds.
Washburn fire Chief Linwood W. Peary couldn't say Thursday how the fire began, approximately in the middle of a three-door section owned by Harold T. Adams. Adams was reported insured structural and equipment loss. Dupram Farms was listed as insured on loss of 7,000 barrels of foundation seed stored with Adams and on the destruction of one door, connected, which contained equipment.
The overall loss was placed at $38,000.
The spectacular fire cast a glow seen in the sub-zero night from Presque Isle and Caribou -- points nearly 10 miles distant.
A Taterstate Frozen Foods shift member driving to work, saw the building "all afire" and reported to Fireman Jasper Umphrey.
Washburn fighters said when they arrived, after a 10:30 p.m. alarm. the string was burning through the roof in the center. They used three lines of hose from hydrants against the inferno to prevent a spread to the other house in the string and to a house some 10 feet away, owned by Cecil A. Porter.
There was no shortage of water.
The two other structures were sprayed. Leo Flewelling's house, the other one in the string. was especially threatened. It was saved by a fire wall and fighter effort.
The burned building contained partitions but no fire walls.
Washburn put 15 men and three pieces of apparatus on the scene. Presque Isle sent two trucks and about eight men.
Most of the firemen remained on duty until around 3:30 a.m. Thursday, and elements stayed until daylight. The fire blazed anew: early Thursday afternoon near Flewelling's house, and firemen were at the scene soon after.
The loss tentatively was broken down as follows by a Dupram Farms spokesman: seed potato loss, approximately $15,000 Dupram structural loss, about $5,000, Adams' structural loss, some $15,000; loss of equipment owned by Dupram and Adams, around $3,000.
Adams was said to have made a routine check on fires in his section earlier in the evening.
[February 1, 1962]