RIT Saves Trapped Maine Firefighter

OXFORD — A Norway firefighter fell through a floor while searching for possible occupants at a house fire Wednesday night on Pottle Road, officials said.

Norway Fire Chief Dennis Yates said Thursday that his wife, Christine, fell through the fire-damaged floor and was not able to move while straddling a floor joist. She immediately used her radio to make a mayday call. To make matters more complicated, her air supply tank ran out while she was stuck. Yates said the on-site Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) was able to locate her through the smoke and extract her in about five minutes. She suffered some smoke inhalation, was treated at a local hospital and was released in good condition.

"The RIT team is primarily there to save us if we get in trouble," Yates said. "And they did a great job."

Minutes after 9 p.m., the home at 70 Pottle Road was fully engulfed in flames. It turned out no one was home at the time.

Firefighters from Oxford, Paris, Norway and Poland responded to the call. Central Maine Power cut electricity to the building. Additional crews from Mechanic Falls, West Paris and Harrison were sent to assist with the blaze.

After a second alarm was called, additional staging was being set up in the Ocean State Job Lots parking lot, which borders Route 26 and Pottle Road.

A team from the state Fire Marshal's Office was at the residence Thursday investigating the cause of the blaze.

———

©2016 the Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine)

Visit the Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine) at www.sunjournal.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.