New Sweden, Maine — July 6 — Caribou Fire and Ambulance Department crews responded around 1 p.m. to a reported forestry equipment fire in a wooded area near 408 East Road.

Because the burning equipment was located well off the roadway, firefighters used utility vehicles equipped with pumping capabilities to reach the scene. Crews supplied water into the remote area and used more than 1,000 gallons to extinguish the fire. The Maine Forest Service also assisted with the response.

The equipment was identified as a feller buncher, a forestry machine used to cut and stack trees. Fire Chief Brian Lajoie said the machine was operating when the fire occurred. The approximately $200,000 piece of equipment, owned by Dylan Bois of DB Logging and Son LLC of Frenchville, was considered a total loss.

Despite the fire occurring in a heavily wooded area, flames did not spread significantly into the surrounding woods. The Maine Forest Service was investigating the cause of the fire.