Fire at Hancock business causes traffic delays on Route 1

A fire at a Route 1 business in Hancock caused traffic delays Friday afternoon while firefighters tried to fight the blaze.

A dispatcher with the Hancock County Regional Communications Center said the fire was at ABM Mechanical, which is located at 1307 U.S. Route 1.

The fire was largely out by 4 p.m., but fire trucks and other response vehicles parked along the road were slowing traffic significantly. Traffic was alternating in either direction, with eastbound traffic back up by nearly a mile waiting to get past the fire scene.

Chris Holmes, chief of the Hancock Volunteer Fire Department, said no one was in the building when the fire was reported Friday afternoon. He said someone had been in the building earlier in the day, around 10:30 a.m., to replace a well pump but that he didn’t think that had anything to do with the fire.

The fire appears to have started in the eastern end of the building, he said. The structure is believed to be a total loss.

The fire marshal’s office is investigating to try to determine the cause, Holmes said. He estimated roughly 45 firefighters from Hancock and eight surrounding towns responded to douse the blaze.

ABM Mechanical is a full-service mechanical contracting firm that also has locations in Bangor and Westbrook, according to its website.