A historic home in Maine mysteriously caught fire earlier this week, destroying the four-bedroom property when it was discovered the owner owes nearly $73,000 in property taxes.
The 2,388-square-foot home caught fire just before 5 a.m. Tuesday with no one inside at the time, a Bangor Fire Department spokesman said.
The Lincoln Street property, owned by James Butler Jr., 63, was declared vacant by the city in 2017 and was later issued with placards because the home had no active water or sewer connections.
At least six fire departments responded to the fire, as crews saw heavy flames coming from all three floors of the home.
At one point during their rescue effort, Bangor Assistant Fire Chief Chandler Corriveau said the fire was “so intense” they had to pull emergency responders from the building.
“A lot of digging, a lot of hot spots, we have tin ceilings and balloon frame construction so the fire went from the first floor all the way to the third floor and as you can see it’s quite a large building,” Corriveau said.
The cause of the damaging fire is not yet known.
The owner owes $73,000 in back taxes on two of the six Bangor properties he owns, according to the city treasurer.
A historic home in Maine mysteriously caught fire earlier this week, destroying the 4-bedroom property whose owner owes nearly $73,000 in property taxes. Pictured: The torched vacant house at 67 Lincoln Street in Bangor, Maine
James Butler Jr., who owns five buildings and an empty lot in Bangor, owes $73,000 in back taxes on two of his six properties, according to the city treasurer, a slight decrease from the $84,000 he reportedly owed in 2021 owned. : The vacant house at 67 Lincoln Street before the devastating fire of December 3
Butler’s current property tax debt is only a slight decrease from the $84,000 he reportedly owned from the city in 2021.
The Hampden resident — who reportedly ran an unsuccessful 2021 campaign for Bangor City Council — owns properties at 72, 181 and 424 State Street, 125 Warren Street and 67 Lincoln Street, as well as a vacant lot in the 100 block of Buck Street.
Of the several properties owned by Butler, four are on the city’s vacant list, and the fifth appears to be vacant and in a dilapidated condition.
City officials discovered several code violations at Butler’s property at 72 State Street, which was formerly a dental office, when they discovered the building “was not safe for people to live or work in,” city attorney David Szewczyk said.
His third property at 424 State Street is not listed with the others but appears to be in distress as it features multiple broken windows, missing shingles and an extremely overgrown landscape, the Bangor Daily News reported.
The torched house on Lincoln Street is just one of many known vacant properties across the city of 31,000 residents as owners — including out-of-state banks — allow the buildings to sit vacant for extended periods of time, posing potential safety hazards and imposes restrictions on safety. available housing.
Now, 76 properties remain vacant in Bangor, a city official said, noting the impact the vacant properties are having on the “already tight market” and statewide demand for housing.
“We have a shortage of housing and it’s not good for the city to have a bunch of vacant residential buildings,” Szewczyk said.
The 63-year-old owes about $73,000 in back taxes for his properties at 72 and 181 State Street, a slight decrease from the $84,000 he reportedly owned in 2021, according to the city treasurer.
Vacant properties can be added to the city’s list in a number of ways. However, once the property is deemed ‘vacant’, the owner has 60 days to obtain a permit and pay the registration fee.
Such a permit is valid for six months, after which the cost for each renewal doubles, with a maximum of $4,000, but an owner of a vacant property will ultimately pay $8,000 per year if the house remains vacant for a number of years.
Butler’s properties at 72 State Street, 181 State Street and 67 Lincoln Street were registered as such on May 1, but those registrations expired in November.
Maine law states that if your taxes are unpaid, the collector can sell your home at public auction on the first Monday in February after the tax is assessed. Maine Legislature reads.