LEWISTON, Maine (WMTW) – Police confirm that a Lewiston home that was the focus of an ongoing drug investigation caught fire Wednesday afternoon.

Lewiston Police confirmed the fire at 149 College St. shortly before 4:30 p.m.

This section of College Street was closed while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.

The fire has now been extinguished after neighbors told Maine newspaper Total Coverage that the fire burned for about an hour.

Earlier this month, police said five people were arrested after a search warrant was executed at 149 College Street.

According to Lewiston police, this College Street home has been the scene of four drug raids in the past nine months.

The City of Lewiston’s Planning and Zoning Department recently issued health and safety code violations against 149 College Street due to the accumulation of trash and debris outside, including drug paraphernalia and feces.

“There’s no running water, no electricity. We’ve seen candles being lit for light. There are no smoke detectors, clear fire hazards. It’s just uninhabitable for people right now,” Jonathan Connor, director of Lewiston’s building inspections, told Maine-based Total Coverage on Monday.

A city hearing was scheduled for September 3 to determine whether the College Street home posed a serious health and safety hazard.

The drug raids on the apartment occurred on December 12 last year and on February 5, July 24 and August 15 this year.

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