Investigators with the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office have determined that a child playing with matches started the fire that killed two Chicago men in Boothbay the morning of Sunday, Oct. 9, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.
The couch in the living room caught fire and the flames quickly spread throughout the two-story house at 116 Pleasant Cove Road, according to McCausland. The child will be referred to counseling, but will not be charged due to his age.
The house had three working smoke detectors, according to McCausland.
Baldomero “Bart” Zamora, 50, and Lucas Farias, 23, died in the fire. Julie Gilbert, 48, of Chicago and formerly of Damariscotta, escaped one of those bedrooms by jumping out a window. She is being treated for burns at Maine Medical Center in Portland. Zamora was Gilbert’s boyfriend. Farias was her son.
A second woman, Alexandra King, 26, of Winslow, and her two children, Harley and River Raymond, 8 and 4, respectively, escaped with minor injuries. All three were taken to a hospital, where they were treated and released.
