Aug. 13 update: The Fire Marshal's Office has classified the July 28 fire at the Wentworth Event Center as Accidental/Electrical. No further information is available at this time, the state said.

BELFAST (Aug . 2) — The Maine Fire Marshall’s Office continues to investigate the cause of a fire that brought down the walls of the Wentworth Event Center, in Belfast, Friday night, July 28.

Waldo County Regional Communications Center was initially alerted to motion detector activation in the structure, prompting a walk-around by the the police department. Upon arrival, police found smoke coming from the eaves at the rear side of the building, facing the water. 

When the Belfast Fire Department arrived on scene, they encountered heavy fire and smoke conditions, according to Belfast Fire Chief Patrick Richards, putting their automatic mutual aid into action in the form of Morrill, Belmont, and Searsport. In all, Richards believes that a total of 25 firefighters responded to the scene.

Northport covered the Belfast fire station in case any other calls occurred, and Stockton Springs covered Searsport for the same reason. 

Starting with the 11:37 p.m. dispatch from 911 to the firefighters, crews battled the flames for 11 hours, and then worked another three hours in cleanup, according to Richards.

Because of ample parking lot space, Searsport Avenue (Route 1) was not closed to traffic near the building, which is at 139 Searsport Avenue, and water came from a couple of nearby hydrants.

Prior to the fire, the building was still in use, housing three entities, including Moody Dog Catering and Waldo Community Action Partners. 

No injuries were reported.