The State Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that a weekend fire at the Stillwater Village apartment complex was accidental and caused by a hair dryer. The fire was reported around 6 p.m. Saturday night. Occupants were alerted to the fire when the fire alarm system activated. The properly working fire doors throughout the building kept most of the smoke out of the hallways, allowing tenants to safely exit the building. No tenants were injured but two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

Firefighters arrived on scene to find heavy fire in the ground floor apartment and extending up the exterior of the building to apartments on the second and third floors. Additional help was requested from the University of Maine Ambulance Corps and fire departments in Old Town, Veazie, and Bangor.  The fire was contained within a half hour of arrival.

Stillwater Village is a large garden-style apartment building. The fire building is divided into three sections with each section containing 12 one to three bedroom apartments. During the fire, twenty-four apartment units were evacuated. The occupants of twelve of those apartments were allowed back in late Saturday after smoke and carbon monoxide levels were reduced. Twenty-four tenants from the other twelve apartments have been displaced until the building can be repaired. Twenty-three of them were University of Maine students. They are staying on the University of Maine campus, at local hotels, or with friends and family.