WELD, Maine (AP)   A fire has leveled a storied general store that long served a Maine county.

The Sun Journal reports that one of the owners of the Weld General Store said he escaped early Monday morning from a fire in the building.

Fire Chief Corney Hutchinson said the building was one of the oldest in the town and had served as town post office for years. Weld Historical Society President Sean Minear said the store was built in 1816 by Franklin Morrison, and was the oldest continuous business in Franklin County.

State fire investigator Jeremy Damren said Jerry had seen fire coming out of a propane heater downstairs.

Damren said the cause of the blaze is undetermined though it does not appear suspicious