Chelsea business plans to donate home after devastating fire

CHELSEA, Maine — A fire destroyed a building and several cabins at New England Rent to Own in Chelsea on Sunday, leaving charred wooden window panels, a broken roof and metal slates. Despite being gutted, the owners say they plan to continue donating.

Long before the unexpected tragedy struck, the company owners had promised to donate a new mobile home to the winner of an essay contest.

Co-owner Bobby Miller said Maine's current housing crisis has left few options for people who can't afford to buy a home. After analyzing the company's resources, Miller said he and co-owner Jeremy Turner decided to give a blessing to families in need.

“There's a huge demand for housing and we all need it, but there's a lot of people out there who can't necessarily afford it,” Miller said.

For many businesses, experiencing a total loss in a fire could derail donation plans.

The fire destroyed one building and about 10 sheds and started in part of the company's warehouse where lithium batteries were stored, according to the state fire marshal's office.

John Henderson, general manager of New England Rent to Own, said he was walking home from church with friends and family on Sunday when he noticed a column of smoke in the air.

“We talked about it a lot and I said, 'Oh man, I feel really bad for whoever's home it is,'” Henderson said. “And then as we got closer, it started to make sense and I said, 'Oh man, that's probably my workplace.'”

Henderson said it took about 10 minutes for everything to be destroyed by flames.

The store was closed Sunday and no employees were on site at the time. No one was injured, but employees found themselves in the destroyed building upon returning to work after the long Memorial Day weekend.

“We had several customers who had buildings built within their buildings that were completed and were due to be delivered today,” Henderson said. “Their staff normally work in our main manufacturing facility. We were very fortunate that none of them were here when this happened. You can always replace products. You can always rebuild them. But what you can't replace is your people. Your people are our most valuable asset.”

Much of the property was destroyed, but owners and managers said there were no derailments.

“I think it gives staff a sense of security to know that we have a plan in place for them,” Miller said.

About 25 to 30 full-time employees will continue working their normal hours to carry out the reconstruction work, and Miller said there are also several contract workers working on-site.

He explained that it was too early to determine how much revenue was lost in the fire or to release clear, detailed plans for how the company would rebuild.

Miller added that their first priority is continuing to look after their staff. Despite the loss, Miller said they are keeping their promise to help families in need of mobile homes.

“While a fire is an unexpected blow to any business, it doesn't change our goal of providing free housing,” Miller said.

Henderson recalled her initial thoughts when Turner approached her with the idea of ​​giving away mobile homes.

“As a GM, my first thought was, 'How are we going to pay for that?' and he said, 'We'll do something. We'll do it,'” Henderson said. “It's necessary given how dire the situation is. Maine is in crisis right now. Maine is in a housing crisis.”

Henderson said several people sent in essays to enter the competition, and the stories people shared were heartbreaking.

Miller and other leaders said they are committed to meeting that need.

“It's something we believe in to our bones. Once we set our goal, we're not going to change course,” Miller said.

Now, grateful for their good fortune, they're getting ready to give back to the lucky families: The owners and managers say they hope to gift the winning families a new mobile home by October or later this year.

“It's certainly a blessing that this happened on a day when the store was closed,” Henderson said. “Someone is going to end up receiving it and this will be a great blessing to them.”

New England Rent to Own is still accepting essays for its contest. See below for details on how to enter.

To apply, click on this link and upload either your essay or video into drop box.

Click here to see a virtual tour of the home.

Videos submitted must be no longer than 5 minutes If you submit an essay, it must be no longer than 3 pages You must provide proof of residency with photo ID If you win the contest, your mobile home must be delivered to an address or location in Maine You must have an existing lot with a foundation to accommodate your new home.

The application period will close when the number of submitted works reaches 1,000. The deadline for applications is September 1, 2024.

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