Smoke can be seen billowing from Winslow’s McCormack Building Supply, on Lithgow, from the Waterville side of the river, on October 11. The state fire marshal’s office has concluded that the cause of the fire to be undetermined. Accord­ing to Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, fire investigators said the fire started near a building in the back of the complex, known as the pine shed, where white pine lumber was stored.

The monetary loss from the fire will exceed $4 million. Investigators interviewed about 25 people who were in or near the buildings when the fire broke out about noon on Friday. Those interviewed included employees, customers, and employees of a paving company which was paving on the property. Investigators said they could not rule in or out any one source for the fire because of the extensive damage.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced recently $33.6 million in direct assistance grants to 166 fire departments nationwide through the agency’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. Additional phases will soon be announced.

The Winslow Fire Department will receive $36,572 from FEMA for an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG). This grant will be used for Advanced Emergency Medical Technician training.

The announcement includes Assistance to Firefighters Grants to the following fire departments in Maine:

Winslow, ME – Federal share of $36,572 for Emergency Medical Technician – Advanced – training. Brewer and Gorham also received grants.

The primary goal of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations. Since 2001, AFG has helped firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources necessary for protecting the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

This grant is funded through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. Eligible applicants include local fire departments, fire districts, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, tribal fire departments and State Fire Training Academies. The grant applications are submitted from each agency directly to FEMA, where the applications are reviewed and scored by fire service personnel from throughout the nation.

FEMA obligates funding for this project directly to the recipient agencies. It is the recipient agency’s responsibility to manage their grant award within federal guidelines with technical assistance and monitoring provided by FEMA Fire Program Specialists.

Additional information about FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters grant program(s) may be found at https://www.fema.gov/firegrants.