Fire at Western Avenue sober house displaces 12 people

SAM SHEPHERD | KENNEBEC JOURNAL

AUGUSTA — Twelve residents of a sober house at 93 Western Ave. were displaced by an attic fire Wednesday afternoon, and the property’s owners are scrambling to find housing for them.

The building is owned by Walpole-based Enso LLC, which operates recovery houses and treatment facilities in Augusta and Sanford. Tim Cheney, Enso’s founder and chief executive officer, said he is currently trying to find residences for those 12 residents.

Cheney said Enso specializes in treating those with addiction disorders stemming from opioid and psychostimulants.

He said Enso owns three properties on Western Avenue that are funded through grants so people who are coming out of jail have a safe place to stay while they receive treatment.

Some residents may move down to a similar house in Sanford, Cheney said, while others may move into another Enso location on Western Avenue. In the meantime, he said the American Red Cross is putting the displaced residents up in an area hotel while he can find suitable local housing, which could be leased or rented.

“We will relocate them,” Cheney said. “I will put them down in Sanford or also find space immediately in the Augusta area.”

He said the fire originated on the second floor of the building, and it does not appear to be suspicious. Cheney lauded the efforts of area fire fighters who quickly extinguished flames and preventable irreparable damage to the building.

“The fire department did an incredible job,” Cheney said. “They’re all on my Christmas list.”

Augusta Fire Chief Dave Groder confirmed that the fire was “absolutely not” suspicious and is being treated as accidental. He said the fire likely started in an exhaust fan in a second-floor bathroom.

Cheney said insurance claims have been filed and the clean-up effort at the property will begin as soon as possible.

A May 2019 Kennebec Journal report said that the building at 93 Western Ave. had been purchased by Enso Recovery to be used as a recovery house for Kennebec County jail inmates in a drug treatment program after they are released from jail. In a July 2019 report, the property was mentioned in a report about a failed proposal to ban residences on Western Avenue was rejected after some residents sought to limit the number of group homes in their neighborhood.