Browns Mill fire extinguished by broken water main

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
FIRE IN THE BROWNS MILL BOILER ROOM — A fire at the Browns Mill on the Vaughn Road in Dover-Foxcroft was quickly extinguished by a broken water main shortly after 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning. The fire started in the boiler room of the former tannery on the Piscataquis River and as the blaze grew it broke the main, releasing water which then put out the fire. The fire was contained to the boiler room and one person in the Browns Mill complex was able to get out safely. Joining the Dover-Foxcroft Fire Department on scene were crews from Dexter, Guilford, Milo and Sangerville, as well as Mayo Regional Hospital EMS, the Piscataquis County Emergency Management Agency and the Dover & Foxcroft Water District. The scene was cleared by the end of the morning.