News Center Maine reports, the early Sunday night fire entirely destroyed an eight-bay garage located off I-95 near Auburn. The Maine Turnpike Authority (MTA) facility was unoccupied at the time and neither MTA personnel nor firefighters were injured.
The millions of dollars of equipment lost included four plow trucks, a loader, a traffic control truck, a three-quarter-ton pickup, and a box truck. MTA states it has enough remaining equipment to maintain all its maintenance routes, although spares are limited.
State and federal investigators are conducting a cause and origin investigation. Their preliminary finding is that fire had an undetermined cause, with no indication of foul play. MTA spokesperson Erin Courtney notes that a 2021 fire at an MTA maintenance facility in Litchfield caused a similar level of damage. The cause of that fire has not been determined.
WMTW and Sun Journal also cover this story.