The Fire Marshal’s office is investigating a structure fire in Bristol that killed a 69-year-old woman and sent her 70-year-old husband to the hospital Dec. 9.
According to Bristol Fire Chief Paul Leeman, the fire broke out around 12:38 p.m, at 16 Oceanside Ln., the home of John and Lynn Ring. The fire started in a garage attached to the Ring’s residence.
According to a press release issued by Maine Dept. of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland, Lynn Ring died at the scene of the fire.
The State Medical Examiner’s Office said additional work will be needed to determine her cause of death. An autopsy was performed Dec. 10.
John Ring suffered burns to his hands and was taken to the hospital in Damariscotta.
McCausland said fire investigators believe the fire started in the garage, which housed a Mercedes Benz convertible. The garage and the car were destroyed.
Firefighters stopped the blaze from causing significant damage to the attached house, built in 2011 after another fire destroyed the previous structure. The cause of the fire in March 2011 was never determined.
Investigators say they have additional work and interviews to complete before attempting to determine how Sunday’s fire started.
Deferring all comment on the investigation to the State Fire Marshal’s office, Leeman said roughly 35 firefighters from five area departments responded to the call. In addition to Bristol, Newcastle, Damariscotta, South Bristol and Bremen all lent mutual aid support.
Once on scene, firefighters were quickly able to contain the fire in the garage and save the bulk of the structure.
“When they first got on scene the fire was obviously in the garage and it was very obvious there was a vehicle in there, so the first attack was foam on that fire,” Leeman said. “As soon as that was under control, we were able to get manpower and a water source and we organized an interior attack and undertook a primary attack.”
Once the fire was knocked down, firefighters were able to undertake a search of the residence, Leeman said. During the search firefighters discovered and rescued 11 cats from the basement.
“They were hiding down in the cellar,” Leeman said. “When they cracked the door open they could hear a meow. We thought we had two cats. Boy, did that escalate.”
The cats were brought to Bristol Fire & Rescue’s rehabilitation stations where first responders were able to revive them using donated oxygen masks specifically designed for animals.
Bristol firefighter and former Bristol Animal Control Officer Mike Witte facilitated placement for the cats with Lincoln County Animal Shelter, Leeman said. Some of the more injured cats were transported to Medomak Veterinary Services in Waldoboro for treatment.
Saving the cats helped provide the firefighters with some relief on what was a very grim situation, Leeman said.
“After the primary search and interior fire was under control, that’s when we did the animal rescue,” Leeman said. “Firefighters got a sense that at least they were able to save these poor defenseless things from what could been an early demise.”
Long after the fire was extinguished, Leeman and a handful of firefighters stayed on scene to assist the fire investigators. Leeman himself did not clear the scene until 12:30 a.m. Dec. 10, a full 12-hours at the scene.
“There were five of us that stayed down and provided lighting winch work, manual labor, helping them dig down through the rubble,” Leeman said. “They were getting pretty tired,” Leeman said.
Circumstances of this specific fire aside, Leeman said the actual attack was a textbook example of the area department’s mutual aid practices, in this specific case heavy on tankers and water shuttle.
“That’s the effect of training county-wide,” Leeman said. “We know each other; we click as one.”
Firefighters were able to save most of the residence, preserving evidence for the Fire Marshal’s investigation. Leeman said the save was helped by a quick reporting of the fire, and the heavy turnout from area departments.
