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Portland fire shuts off electricity to Union Station Plaza businesses

A one-way section of Congress Street was shut down for a period but has reopened.

PORTLAND, Maine — The Portland Fire Department responded to the scene of a fire at the Union Station Wash & Fold at 290 St. John St., in Portland on Tuesday. There were no injuries.

Deputy Fire Chief Mike Nixon said the fire started in a dryer and then spread to the roof. The store's sprinklers saved the interior of the building, but the fire went up through the interior walls to the roofline. Officials had to cut through the store's metal roof to reach a vent. 

Credit: NCM

Nixon said there is water and smoke damage in the laundromat and smoke damage in the adjacent businesses. 

Electricity was shut off to all stores in the Union Station Plaza because officials couldn't isolate where to shut it off. The entire plaza will remain closed until electricians can assess the buildings.

It took the fire crews about 30 minutes to contain the fire, Nixon said. 

"It was a two-phase fight: from the interior on the first floor and then on the roof itself."

Traffic and ongoing construction in the Plaza area were concerns for crews working the scene. 

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