By Natalie De La Garza
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — The 20 tenants of a Main Street apartment complex displaced by a suspicious fire last week have been able to move back into their homes, thanks to quick repairs.
The apartment building, located at 23 Main Street, is owned by Robert and Puay Fern. Speaking from his truck outside of the building the day of the fire, Robert was empathetic with the building’s residents.
“One tenant has been here for 17 years,” Fern said, mentioning that a lot of their tenants are long-term residents. Fern took action immediately, and repairs on the building began less than 12 hours after the fire started.
The fire broke out around 3:15 a.m. last Thursday, Dec. 5; first on the scene was Limestone Police Office Danny Gahagan Jr.
“Officer Gahagan was called to a noise complaint at 23 Main Street, and on the way to the call, the complaint changed to an active fire,” said Limestone Police Chief Stacey Mahan. The Limestone Fire Department was alerted and, upon arriving at the apartment complex, officer Gahagan observed that one of the apartments on the bottom floor of the building was on fire.
As Gahagan quickly moved to evacuate residents, Mahan stated that the tenants themselves did a great job making sure their neighbors were alerted to the fire.
“Fortunately a few people were still awake or had woken up to get ready for work, and once they started spreading the word people got out very quickly,” Mahan said.
While Gahagan worked getting residents to safety, he was provided some information that the fire was started on purpose.
At that point, the chief said, he and full-time Limestone Police Office Ivan Mazius were called to assist with the situation, during which additional information was obtained at the scene about the suspicious fire. Tim Lowell, senior investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s Office, also responded to the scene and by Thursday afternoon, Mahan was confident that it wouldn’t be too long before charges were brought.
“We have a suspect,” the chief said. “We are accumulating information based on statements made at the scene, and feel very confident that there will be charges brought in the near future.”
Members of the Limestone Fire Department not only had the fire extinguished in about two hours, they opened the Fire Station to provide a safe, warm place for the displaced tenants to stay while the Red Cross gathered their resources and volunteers.
Arriving in Limestone around 5 a.m., Branch Manager of the Aroostook County Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross Joyce Knorr said she was impressed with the reception she found in the community; from the local grocery store Mike’s Family Market and the Limestone United Methodist Church to the municipal departments and volunteers, Knorr said that everyone worked together like a well-oiled machine.
“It was like we’d already rehearsed it,” Knorr said. “The pieces all came together and the community was phenomenal.”
Pastor of the Limestone United Methodist Church Ellen Cleaves received a call from the Red Cross around 6:30 a.m., and was apprised of the situation — there were 20 displaced persons, including children, and they needed breakfast — so she opened the church with assistance from active members of the congregation.
“That’s simply what we’re about — we respond to needs when we know them,” Cleaves said. “We provided a safe place for them, listened to their stories, and opened the clothing ministry so that we were able to get the individuals clothing,” she added, but was quick to credit the Red Cross’s professional emotional support volunteers for their care in listening to and supporting the tenants.
It was a community effort to make sure the residents had the things they needed, and the efforts of all involved were complimentary. While the Red Cross facilitated hotel and motel rooms for residents to say in, Cleaves said that many of the people from the apartment complex were low on gasoline to get where they needed to go.
“We filled up their cars so they could get to where they were going to be staying, and then get to the stores so they could use the vouchers that the Red Cross gave them,” Cleaves said.
Whether it was replacing medications or providing a sympathetic ear, Red Cross and Limestone representatives worked together to make sure the tenants needs were met — something that Cleaves feels is reflective of the community.
“It’s the Aroostook County mindset,” she said. “People respond when the need is there.”
Red Cross Emergency Department officials informed Knorr on Monday that tenants of the Limestone building were able to move back into their apartments.
The American Red Cross is able to provide support in emergency situations through the generosity of donors, and large emergency situations tend to put a strain on financial resources.
Those interested in supporting the Pine Tree Chapter can call Knorr at 498-5050 or send donations to the American Red Cross, 7 Hatch Drive, Caribou Maine 04736. Checks can be made payable to American Red Cross with “Aroostook Disaster Services” in the memo line.
