FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — A Fort Fairfield boy who was in critical condition after a fire last week has left a Boston hospital and returned to Aroostook County, Fort Fairfield Police Chief Shawn Newell said.
Parker Turcotte had escaped a fire at his family’s home on Dec. 16 through a second-story window. He was transported to Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital in Presque Isle before being flown to Shriners Hospitals for Children – Boston, where he was initially reported as being in critical but stable condition.
Turcotte — who Newell reported was doing better on Dec. 17 — has now returned from the hospital and joined his family in meeting with Newell and other Fort Fairfield town officials on Monday. Parker was feeling “good, but sore and tired,” Newell said.
Parker was the only member of the Turcotte family injured in the fire. But the uninsured house was a total loss, and the family lost numerous belongings in the fire.
The Fort Fairfield community immediately banded together: led by town officials including Newell, they accepted donations of clothes and funds at the town office, fire station and on a GoFundMe page.
Newell had initially set a goal for $5,000, but the page ended up grossing far beyond that: funds were at $14,410 from 187 donors on Tuesday afternoon, with donations continuing to pour in nearly a week after the fire.
Speaking last week, Newell said the response had stunned both him and the Turcotte family. He saw it as an example of the Aroostook County hospitality often spoken of by the rest of Maine.
“I literally have no words to describe my appreciation for everyone who has helped,” Newell said.
Editor’s note: The Bangor Daily News donated $1,000 to the Turcotte family’s GoFundMe.
