Jan. 29--WEST PARIS -- A fireworks warehouse was burning here early this morning, and firefighters from several towns were on the scene.
Flames were rising from the roof of the old Penley Mill building near the intersection of Penley Avenue, which is Route 219, and Greenwood Road.
The building was "fully involved" in fire as of 1:45 a.m., a witness said.
A dispatcher warned firefighters to beware of possible explosives in the building.
Fireworks retailer and wholesaler AAH Fireworks opened a store at the site last June 22.
Owner Andre Vandenbulcke told the Advertiser Democrat in June that he planned to renovate the site in August, and add 17,000 square feet to an existing 800-square-foot warehouse. He planned to stock it with fireworks by the end of September.
As of June, Vandenbulcke told the Advertiser Democrat, 18,000 cases of fireworks had been imported from China to the West Paris location.
He planned to sell fireworks to out-of-state vendors in addition to selling fireworks in West Paris.
AAH Fireworks operates four facilities in San Antonio, Texas, in addition to the one it has in West Paris.
Copyright 2013 - Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine
