
POLAND — A massive fire that leveled the former dining hall at the defunct Elan School on Friday morning is being investigated by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Poland Fire Rescue Chief Tom Printup confirmed.
The blaze at 70 Number Five Road is at least the second since November. The cause then was listed as undetermined by state fire investigators.
Fire departments from Auburn, Mechanic Falls, Minot, New Gloucester and Oxford assisted Poland Fire Rescue.
The private school for troubled teens was opened in 1970 by Joseph Ricci, the former Scarborough Downs owner. It closed in April 2011 due to declining enrollment after several allegations and testimonies of abuse surfaced over the years.

Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less