Damariscotta Police Chief Chad Andrews credits Patrol Officer Jennifer Mitkus with saving the life of a 71-year-old woman during her final shift with the department.
Last Saturday, July 21, Mitkus reported for a 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. shift, her last before she starts a job as a probation officer with the Department of Corrections.
According to a police report, at 7:27 a.m., Mitkus received a report of a fire alarm at Ledgewood Court, the affordable housing development off Piper Mill Road.
Mitkus arrived at the scene and noticed smoke coming out of an open window. Two of the resident’s neighbors were pounding on the locked front door and hollering to their neighbor.
The veteran officer entered the apartment through a window. Inside, she could see “a significant amount of smoke” coming from the direction of the occupant’s bedroom.
She found the elderly woman getting out of bed and helped her to the front door of the apartment, where she instructed her and her neighbors to move away from the building because of the numerous highly flammable oxygen bottles inside.
Mitkus didn’t leave. She found a cooking pot in the kitchen, filled it with water and dumped it on the mattress, repeating several times until the fire appeared to be extinguished. She then checked the rest of the apartment for signs of fire.
The Damariscotta Fire Department arrived at the scene shortly thereafter. The Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service responded and transported the tenant to Miles Memorial Hospital as a precaution. She was released the same day.
A Fire Marshal’s Office investigation revealed the cause of the fire as improper disposal of smoking material – a cigarette.
Damariscotta Police Chief Chad Andrews called Mitkus’ actions “heroic” and credited her exceptional, “heads-up” response with preventing a tragedy.
“She definitely saved the lady’s life and probably some other people” due to the potential for the oxygen tanks to explode, he said.
