Fire Damages Proposed Maine Slaughterhouse Site

Officials in Auburn City, Maine say a suspicious fire was reported at the site of a proposed slaughterhouse in the central Maine city hours after the City Council approved a special use permit to allow it.

The council voted 4-2 Monday night to allow slaughterhouse operations in the city’s agriculture zone, clearing the way for a slaughterhouse proposed on Trapp Road. In the weeks leading up to the vote, scores of signatures were collected on a petition opposing the zoning change.

Hours after the vote, a small fire was reported early Tuesday morning at a building on the proposed site of the slaughterhouse. Police told the Sun Journal of Lewiston the fire was considered suspicious because the building was unoccupied and lacked electricity.

The state fire marshal’s office is investigating.