By Rick Wright

Staff Writer

The owner of a South Portland motel damaged by fire last week is still unsure how much it will cost to repair damage to a large portion of his building.

Firefighters from South Portland, Portland and Scarborough responded March 4 to a two-alarm fire at the Knights Inn motel located at 634 Main St.

Eight years ago, the same property, then called the Budget Inn, suffered a fire that was even worse, according to Kenny Patel, who has owned the motel for 10 years.

Last week’s fire was started when a propane heater exploded in the room occupied by David Jauchius, 60. He was taken to a Portland hospital with burns to his face and arms, according to a press release from Steve McCausland of the Maine Department of Public Safety.

The room was heated by a hot water baseboard but Jauchius was using the propane heater as his main heating source, McCausland said.

Patel said Jauchius was violating motel policy by having his own heater in the room. 

“We provide heat,” Patel said. “He was not supposed to have that (heater),” he said.

Investigators found two, 20-pound propane tanks and 123 small disposable propane tanks in the room. Most of the small tanks were empty, McCausland said.

Patel said staff members didn’t know about the heater in Jauchius’ room because he was a long-term tenant who did not take room service.  Jauchius lived at the motel for eight to 10 months, Patel said.

One other tenant was treated for non-life threatening injuries at the scene and released, according to Lt. Robb Couture of the South Portland Fire Department.

Jauchius was released from the hospital Saturday and is now living at another motel in the greater Portland area, Patel said.

Jauchius wouldn’t comment on the incident.

The fire gutted Jauchius’ room and five other rooms. The motel’s roof also suffered severe damage, according to McCausland.   

Patel said he is now working with his insurance company to determine how much repairs will cost. 

“I don’t know how much it will cost,” said Patel, adding that he didn’t intend to seek legal action against Jauchius because the man “had nothing.”

Couture speculated the incident would cause “fairly significant dollar loss.”

Two holes were visible in the roof – one caused by flames shooting through the roof and another firefighters made to make sure fire had not spread throughout the complex from inside the roof.

“The roof burned completely off,” Couture said. “Once it’s (fire) up into the roof, it’s hard to chase.  (Firefighters) cut away from the fire to make sure the fire hasn’t gone past them.”

The motel is divided into two sections. The burned section has 13 rooms. Nine of the rooms were occupied at the time of the fire, Patel said.

All of the displaced tenants were moved to the section that was not damaged by the fire.

Drivers were forced to seek alternate routes because the fire required Route 1, between the Maine Turnpike Spur and Aspen Avenue to be shut down for two hours, according to South Portland police.

Patel estimated it would be about six months before he could reopen the burned section. With the tourist season coming on, Patel said his income would be limited because he now has fewer rooms to rent.

The initial call came into the South Portland Fire Department at 9:34 a.m., according to Couture. Twelve South Portland firefighters responded and found heavy fire and smoke damage. They quickly realized they needed more help.

Portland and Scarborough sent trucks and firefighters to the scene. All three South Portland fire stations responded and two volunteer companies in South Portland provided reinforcements.

“We have good mutual aid agreements with all the surrounding communities,” Couture said. “It’s a benefit to have those guys come in and back us up.”    

Three State Fire Marshal investigators worked with South Portland police and fire officials to determine the cause of the fire.

Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237 or news@inthesentry.com.