Lightning fire destroys library on Maine island

SWANS ISLAND, Maine—A predawn fire that destroyed the town library on Thursday was blamed on lightning from an overnight thunderstorm.

Fire Chief Robert Gardner said a nearby resident reported the fire at 3:40 a.m. and the building was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived a few minutes later.

In addition to housing the library's book and multimedia collection, Gardner said the building also was used as a meeting place and was home to artifacts owned by the local historical society.

Library director Candis Joyce said the two-story building was the last remaining old community schoolhouse on the island and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Joyce said the building was insured, and a fund to raise money for a new library has been opened.

Swans Island, about five miles off Mount Desert Island, is one of the few remote ocean islands in the state with a year-round population. It has approximately 350 residents in winter and about 1,000 in summer.