UPDATE: Gas leak fuels explosion, fire

BAR HARBOR — The Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office determined that a propane gas leak caused a Friday morning fire that destroyed a home on Bay View Drive.

Sgt. Scott Richardson said no one was staying at the seasonal home at 219 Bay View Drive, which he described as a “camp.” A plumber and a propane serviceperson had been at the home about an hour before the fire was reported, readying it for the owners, he said.

The leaking gas built up inside the small one-story home where it was ignited by a pilot light on a gas water heater, sparking an explosion and the fire, Richardson said.

When Bar Harbor firefighters arrived, the roof already had collapsed and only one wall of the home was standing. The home is a complete loss.

The fire was reported just before 9:30 a.m. Bar Harbor Police Officer Soren Sundberg was patrolling on Route 3 and noticed a great deal of black smoke coming from an area near Hadley Point and notified the fire department. Driving toward the source, he came upon residents who directed him to the scene. Sundberg was able to determine no one was inside the structure.

The home, owned by Michael Lake Jr. of West Trenton, N.J., was located on a densely wooded parcel and reached by a narrow dirt road.

“We’re very fortunate that the fire didn’t spread into the woods,” said Chief Matt Bartlett of the Bar Harbor Fire Department.

Traffic was detoured off Route 3 and down Knox Road, Norway Drive and Crooked Roads for a time Friday morning while crews were shuttling water from Northeast Creek.

According to Bartlett, the owner and his family were in the area Friday, staying with relatives in Trenton.

Bar Harbor firefighters were assisted by departments from Trenton, Mount Desert, Tremont, Southwest Harbor, Ellsworth and the Northeast Harbor Ambulance Service.

This story was updated on Aug 10 at 1:10 p.m.