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An update with news that a Mechanic Falls mans was charged with arson was posted at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday

Mechanic Falls man charged with arson after Pleasant Street blaze

MECHANIC FALLS — The Mechanic Falls Fire Department and crews from 10 other departments worked to extinguish a house fire late Tuesday afternoon.

The first calls for a fire at 39 Pleasant St., near the Depot Square area, came at around 5 p.m. Minutes later smoke poured from the structure’s roof, crowned by orange flames.

Two people live in the home, and one was there when the fire started,  Chief Fred Sturtevant said during a phone call late Tuesday.

“Everyone got out safely, no problem there,” Sturtevant said. “We just are glad no one got hurt.”

The fire appeared to have started near the back of the two-story structure, but its exact cause was unknown Tuesday night.

Investigators with the Office of the Maine State Fire Marshal were on the scene around 9:30 p.m., Sturtevant said. He declined to speculate on the potential cause while the investigation is ongoing.

Crews from Minot, Oxford, Auburn and beyond descended on the site to provide mutual aid, but the fire’s timing, right at the end of the workday and during rush hour, made it difficult to secure enough support, Sturtevant said.

“Everybody was getting out of work, so manpower was a real struggle for us,” he said.

Staff Photographer Russ Dillingham contributed reporting.