The municipal officers of Athens, Maine, need to think twice when it comes time to re-appoint Brett Strout as fire chief. According to Chief Strout, a living structure was destroyed and flattened before the crews arrived at a recent fire scene. The flames spread to surrounding woods. The resident received burns to both arms but did not require hospitalization (“Man burned after camper-trailer catches fire in Athens, chief says,” June 9).

Chief Strout was quoted as saying “It was nothing real serious.” I call it quite serious when a person loses his living quarters to the ravages of fire! I’m sure that if Fire Chief Strout’s living quarters were flattened to the ground by fire and he received burns to both arms and the flames spread to surrounding woods, he would not have said, “It was nothing real serious.”

The fire chief’s comments were insensitive, unnecessary and inappropriate.

Andrew Partridge

Augusta

 

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