BERWICK, Maine – An autopsy will be conducted today on the Berwick firefighter killed while battling an apartment fire on Friday, according to SeacoastOnline.com.
FirefighterNation: Maine Firefighter Killed, Several Other Firefighters Injured in Apartment Fire
Berwick Fire Department Captain Joel Barnes was one of five firefighters injured while fighting an apartment fire on Bell Street Friday morning. Barnes and the injured firefighters were transported to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. The other firefighters were treated and released.
Captain Barnes was one of four full-time firefighters in the Berwick Fire Department. He was a firefighter in Berwick for two years. The department also consists of 22 on-call firefighters and three per-diem firefighters. Barnes was reported to also have been a firefighter with Horry County Fire Rescue in South Carolina.
Officials announce death of Berwick fire captain, WMUR
The Bell Street fire was first reported at 10:57 a.m. and Berwick firefighters and police officers were the first to arrive at the three-story building within four minutes. All occupants of the building got out safely. The Red Cross assisted eight people displaced by the fire.
Fire at 10 Bell Street in Berwick, Portland Press Herald
Full video shows the removal of Captain Barnes but with respect for the Barnes family
and the Berwick Fire Department we will only show the edited version at this time. – Editors
Assistant Chief Tim Wilder of the Rochester, New Hampshire Fire Department told reporters that shortly after the first-arriving firefighters went to work a mayday was transmitted. Assistant Chief Wilder did not provide any specific details about what transpired leading up to the mayday and what happened inside. Maine Public Safety spokesman Steve McDonald said that Captain Barnes was one of two firefighters who encountered fire on the third floor and needed to be rescued.
A second-alarm was called for at 11:03 a.m. followed by a third-alarm at 11:14 a.m. and a fourth-alarm at 11:31 a.m. bringing at least 50 or more firefighters to the scene. Wilder said that firefighters from seven departments in Maine and 10 in New Hampshire assisted at the fire as well as numerous EMS departments.
Assistant Chief Wilder praised Captain Barnes’s service and the dedication of the paramedics who worked to save Barnes.
Body of Berwick firefighter escorted to NH Medical Examiner’s Office, WMUR
The origin and cause of the fire has not been reported. The Maine Fire Marshal’s Office as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are on the scene and investigating the fire. A resident told a local reporter that the fire had started on a third-floor porch and that the resident had attempted to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher.
Additional details come from WMTW and NewsCenterMaine.
