Firefighters battle flames, bitter cold
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
FIRE AND ICE — Firefighters from Easton, Mars Hill, Presque Isle and Fort Fairfield found themselves battling both extreme cold and a house fire on the Bear Trap Road in Easton Feb. 8. Water sprayed on the fire quickly froze on whatever it landed on, including firefighters. The home, owned by John Tompkins, was deemed a total loss. A 14-year-old girl at home when the fire broke out in an adjacent garage was transported to TAMC for treatment of smoke inhalation and later released.
EASTON — Firefighters battled their second house fire in as many weeks, as a blaze claimed a home on the Bear Trap Road on Friday.
“We received the call at 10 a.m. on Feb. 8 of a structure fire on Bear Trap Road. A passerby had spotted smoke and went to check it out. Twenty firefighters from Easton responded,” said Fire Chief Kim White, EFD.
White said the home, owned by John Tompkins, was currently being occupied by Tompkin’s son and his family.
“Five people were living in the home, including two adults and three children,” he said.
White said a female teenager was the only one home when the fire broke out.
“From what we’ve determined, the father left and had put wood in a woodstove in the garage, which was close to the house. We’re not sure if it was a chimney fire or a problem with the woodstove, but the fire spread quickly to the home,” said White.
White said from what he’s been told, two good Samaritans — Rick Henderson and Dave Saucier — stopped by the house when they saw smoke, entered the home to make sure no one was inside and found the teenager near the door.
“She was transported by Crown Ambulance to The Aroostook Medical Center for treatment of smoke inhalation and later released,” said White. “The girl came home sick from school and was resting upstairs when the fire broke out.
No other injuries were reported.
White said several other departments and crews responded to assist.
“We received mutual aid from Mars Hill, Presque Isle and Fort Fairfield. Each department responded with a tanker and six firefighters,” said White. “The Fire Marshal’s Office also assisted with the investigation.”
The chief said cold temperatures hampered efforts.
“The temperature that day was below zero, causing water to freeze on the guys’ turnout gear. We had to work to keep equipment from freezing up,” said White.
Town Manager Jim Gardner said the community was still recovering from the fire on the Richardson Road that claimed the lives of Brothers Mark and Paul Beaton.
“Our little town has been hit hard, having two major house fires in two weeks. We’re just glad no one was seriously hurt in this latest blaze. Our fire department is made up of a great group of dedicated individuals; we’re glad to have them — especially at times like this,” said Gardner.
The home, which was insured, was a total loss. White did not know if the contents of the home were insured however. Firefighters cleared the scene around 5 p.m.
