GORHAM – Authorities have ruled that Wednesday’s early morning fire in Gorham is another case of arson.

It was the sixth fire and fifth arson in three weeks in Gorham, putting police on patrol on high alert.

Police Chief Ronald Shepard said the latest fire, at 1:20 a.m. Wednesday, was at an unoccupied building next to the former Gammons Garage on Sebago Lake Road (Route 237). It is also adjacent to the vacant White Rock School. The Maine Fire Marshal’s Office ruled later Wednesday that the blaze, which burned grass and brush around a house at 363 Sebago Lake Road, was another case of arson.

“Fire investigators say the target of the fire was an unoccupied house on the property, but the wind blew the fire away from the building,” Steve McCausland, a spokesman for the Maine Public Safety Department, said in a report Wednesday.

Four previous fires in Gorham have been ruled as arson and another one was deemed suspicious in the string that began March 27. The latest fire is near a previous fire that destroyed a vacant house on Great Falls Road and comes one week after an arson at a vacant house on Dingley Spring Road.

All the fires have been at unoccupied buildings.

As of Tuesday, authorities had no suspects.

On patrol Tuesday evening, Police Officer Ted Hatch checked vacant buildings provided by investigators.

“All we can do is patrol and be diligent,” Hatch said.

Hatch stopped at 56 Dingley Spring Road, a house that was targeted by an arsonist in the evening of April 11. What Hatch found at the house was alarming – two doors not only unlocked, but open. “I’m shocked – wide open,” Hatch said.

Hatch radioed Sgt. Benjamin Moreland, who drove to the scene. The two checked out the property, then locked the doors at the new house and contacted the owner.

Hatch had checked that same house the night before the property was targeted by an arsonist. Fast response by firefighters last week had prevented extensive damage, and what was damaged apparently has been repaired since.

“I would just like to catch the person,” Hatch said as he drove rural Gorham roads Tuesday night. “What I worry about is that someone is going to get hurt.” He said an arsonist “is running a bigger risk” than just lighting fires.

Last week, Gorham police canvassed Gorham neighborhoods and distributed flyers seeking help from residents, who might have seen something suspicious.

“The public has stepped up its awareness,” Hatch said.

“We’re still tracking down some leads,” Gorham Detective Sgt. Dana Thompson said Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Shepard was scheduled to update the Town Council about the investigations in a meeting after the American Journal deadline. The council will consider offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the apprehension of those involved in the arson cases. The money would come from the town’s contingency account.

Police are asking citizens to report anything suspicious.

Early Tuesday night, Hatch passed an ice cream truck while responding to a call on North Gorham Road. “The ice cream truck or the newspaper delivery guy could be our biggest friends,” Hatch said. “They’re an extra set of eyes.”

Hatch said people are nervous.

“People hear sirens, they automatically think fire,” he said.

Hatch stopped to chat with Spiller Road resident Scott Sorenson.

“I’m nervous it will escalate,” Sorenson said, just hours before the latest fire.

The Spiller Road neighborhood, like others in town, is on alert.

“A lot of people are walking on this road. Everybody is looking as they’re driving by,” Sorenson said.

At about 7:24 p.m., a dispatcher radioed a report of a fire in the area of the Public Works garage on Huston Road. Hatch turned on his siren and blue lights. “They didn’t say it was a structure fire, that’s a good sign,” Hatch said.

It turned out to be a gathering of fire trucks and firefighters for a training session, and apparently dispatch hadn’t been notified.

At 7:43 p.m., Hatch stopped at another vacant house. “This doesn’t look good,” he said viewing the property before clicking on his flashlight to check out the property around the house.

In the neighborhood of Spiller Road, Buck Street and Dingley Spring Road, Hatch’s eyes scanned the heavily wooded area.

“Trails everywhere,” he said.

Hatch was the first on the scene last week at the fire on Dingley Spring Road. He said two people in a nearby house didn’t see anything.

Gorham is a big town to patrol. His section Tuesday evening was what police call the south side, with Fort Hill Road dividing the patrol sections. But, early in the evening he was called to North Gorham.

Hatch figured it took him 23 minutes to travel from North Gorham Road to Friendly Village in South Gorham.

Stepping up time on patrol, Hatch filled out reports right from the cruiser instead of returning to the station.

“We’re doing a nice job saturating the town,” Hatch said.

“It’s troubling,” Hatch said about the arsons.

Police tape can be seen at this vacant Sebago Lake Road home, which was the target of an arsonist early Wednesday morning.        
On patrol Tuesday, Gorham Officer Ted Hatch radios his sergeant after he found open doors at 56 Dingley Spring Road, a home that was hit by arson April 11.   
The state fire marshal’s office’s mobile command center van was in Gorham last week as officials continued to investigate a string of suspicious fires.
Volunteers, below, leave the Gorham Public Safety building on April 12 as they began to canvass neighborhoods in hopes of gathering information on a series of suspicious fires in the town.