A Monday morning fire that gutted a home on Musselman Road in Standish had suspicious origins, fire officials said.
“We believe the house was vacant, but we’re not 100 percent sure yet, so yeah, at this point it seems kind of suspicious,” Standish Fire Chief Robert Caron told reporters near the scene at 26 Musselman Road.
Caron said the home was fully involved in flames by the time fire crews arrived just before 8 a.m.
Neighbors reported hearing an explosion moments before the fire broke out.
“There was a loud bang, super loud, immediately followed by a dark, black cloud,” Allison Parsons told News Center Maine (WCSH/WLBZ).
Damage to the home was extensive. Its roof collapsed and the building appeared to be a total loss.
No injuries were reported, but the State Fire Marshal’s Office was called in to investigate the cause of the fire.
Town tax records show that the property was foreclosed on before being released to the current owner in 2018, News Center Maine reported.
Five neighboring towns, including Sebago and Windham, sent crews to assist Standish firefighters.
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