MERC fire extinguished

Firefighters extinguished a fire at Maine Energy Recovery Co. in Biddeford in less than an hour Sunday night.

Fire Chief Joseph Warren said heavy black smoke was showing as firefighters arrived at the Lincoln Street trash incinerator around 8:20 p.m. The fire was in the upper levels of the secondary shredder, a concrete area designed to contain fire and explosions, he said.

Firefighters made their way up to the top area to extinguish a burning rubber belt, which had caused the heavy smoke, Warren said. The fire was under control within 45 minutes and no one was injured.

Warren said the department had to deal with two other fire calls at the same time. A chimney fire at 844 Pool St. was reported at the same time as the Maine Energy fire. Also reported was a fire at St. Joseph Church on Elm Street, which turned out to be a false alarm, he said.

The situation of having multiple calls simultaneously was complicated by a Biddeford Pool fire truck that wouldn’t start and a Central Station engine that is out of service, Warren said. Crews from Kennebunkport responded to the Pool Street chimney fire, while Saco and Goodwins Mills assisted Biddeford crews elsewhere. 

Suspect identified in case of dead viper

An Old Orchard Beach man was charged with illegally keeping a poisonous viper found March 8 behind Saco Cinemagic.

Karl Ramsdell, 35, was summonsed on charges of keeping illegal wildlife in captivity, a civil violation, and failure to have an importation permit for wildlife, a Class E criminal violation, according to Deborah Turcotte, spokesman for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The charges were the result of a 10-day investigation by the Maine Warden Service.

The body of a venomous 5-foot Gaboon viper was found on a rock by a person walking on a trail behind the theater. The snake is considered one of the most deadly of all snake breeds, even when dead.

Turcotte said Ramsdell faces a fine of $100 to $500 if he is found guilty of the civil violation. If found guilty of the criminal charge, he faces up to one year in jail and a fine of $50 to $1,000.

Ramsdell was found guilty of a violation of a Commissioner’s Rule on illegal snakes in 2004 and fined $350, Turcotte said.

Saco denies permit for CMP line changes

The Saco Planning Board denied a conditional use permit for a high-voltage line upgrades through the city.

The board previously tabled Central Maine Power Co.’s proposal, which company officials say is necessary to provide power to Saco Bay residents. The board also tabled a site plan for a proposed substation off Industrial Park Road and asked for more information about noise, lighting and buffering, according to City Planner Bob Hamblen.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission approved the $26 million Saco Bay Reinforcement Project, despite objections from Saco residents and city officials. The project requires the installation of a single 115-kilovolt line and a single 35-kV line, as well as replacement of 174, 35-foot wood poles with 96, 85-metal poles.

In 2008, the city enacted an ordinance that requires high-voltage lines to be buried within 200 feet of any residence, school building, school playground, publicly owned recreational facility, field or park, or any occupied place of employment.

Project plans place lines within 200 feet, but the Public Utilities Commission ruled CMP cannot pass the high cost of burying lines on to ratepayers. The planning board has no authority to deviate from the ordinance, according to Hamblen.

The PUC has the authority to waive local zoning requirements and CMP will ask they waive the requirement to bury lines. 

Hamblen said he expects the planning board to again consider the proposed substation at its April 6 meeting.

Man faces prison for CVS robbery

 Kyle Desmarais was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison last week for robbing a Biddeford pharmacy last December.

Desmarais pleaded guilty in York County Superior Court in Alfred last Thursday to charges of robbery and stealing drugs in an agreement reached with prosecutors.

Before stealing about 300 oxycontin pills while showing a pharmacist what appeared to be a gun tucked into his pants, Desmarais used a stolen cell phone to report an abduction in the Hills Beach area, according to Biddeford Police Chief Roger Beaupre.

Then, at about 9:40 p.m. on Dec. 14, Desmarais went into the CVS, displayed a cap gun, and demanded the pharmacist fill a bag with oxycontin pills.

However, because a dispatch supervisor was suspicious of the abduction call, one unit was sent to the area while others  stayed in the city. The cell phone was traced to a business where Desmarais once  worked.

Desmarais was tracked to Dallaire’s Motel on Elm Street. About four hours after the robbery, police surrounded the motel and captured Desmarais.

Postponed Mary’s Walk will be Sunday

The 12^th annual Mary’s Walk and Kerrymen Pub Road Race will take place Sunday in Saco to raise money for the Maine Cancer Foundation.

The annual event was postponed March 14 because of heavy wind and rain. Registration for the walk and 5K road race will be 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the gym at Thornton Academy on Main Street.

The run starts at noon at Kerrymen Pub and finishes at Thornton Academy. The non-competitive 2.5-mile walk begins at 12:15 p.m. at Thornton Academy. For more information, call 773-2533.