Firefighter injured battling Durham flames

PHOTO: A firefighter was injured Friday evening battling a three-alarm fire in Durham. Crews were called to a home on Royalsborough Road around 7 p.m. and found flames pouring out of a barn. The barn saw extensive damage. Officials say the fire was put out before reaching the residential part of the house which the barn was attached to. The house will likely be able to be occupied again. The injured firefighter was taken to Mid Coast Hospital and treated for minor injuries and was released. No other injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
WABI-TV CBS/CW+ 5 Bangor

Lebanon votes to give additional funding to fire, EMS department amid budget restraints

VIDEO: Residents in Lebanon voted to give additional funding to the town's fire and EMS department in a special vote on Saturday. A total of $115,000 dollars worth of unassigned funds were up for debate to financially support the department until June when another fiscal budget will be decided. Some select board members and residents argued in a public discussion that the department would have run out of funding for staff and running costs, leaving the potential for a shutdown if left without additional funds. "A 'no' vote today means the town will not be able to provide its own emergency services," Select Board Vice Chair Michael Walsworth said. Those in opposition argued other spending cuts should be made within the department, such as re-managing staff, or funds should be taken from other spending resources within the town.
WCSH-TV NBC 6 Portland

Paris honors Deputy Chief Buffington with procession and final lap at speedway

VIDEO: Firefighters in Paris are honoring a longtime member who sadly died last month. Deputy Chief William Buffington worked for the Paris Fire Department for 57 years. Saturday morning, a procession with area fire crews traveled through town and took one final lap at Oxford Plains Speedway. Buffington was a four-time racing champ there, having also won 68 figure 8 races in the 1970's and 80's. Buffington is also being remembered for his work in the community. He headed up the department's annual boot drive and ran their food booth at the Oxford Fair. Buffington was 81 years old.
WGME-TV CBS 13 Portland

Maine Forest Service: Permits and Precautions Key to Preventing Wildfires

As spring finally sets in and gives us a taste of nice weather, you may have noticed brush fires near homes and fields as county folks clean up. However this time of year is also prime for wildfires. NewsSource8's Brian Bouchard speaks with a Ranger from the Maine Forest Service about what we’ve seen so far this season and what can be done to prevent wildfires. Here in the newsroom we use a variety of tools to monitor what’s happening across the county. One tool that I’ve recently started using comes from the Maine Forest Service and is used to track wildfires across the state. The information is regularly updated, and provides the cause, size and date the fire occurred. “We’ve been fairly busy, I would say nothing out of the norm. We are currently still in grass fire season.”
WAGM-TV CBS/FOX/CW+ 8 Presque Isle

Deadly year on Maine roadways so far, officials say

Spring is here which means more people are on the roads. According to the Bureau of Highway Safety, it’s already been a deadly year on Maine roadways. BHS reports 42 people have died in crashes. That’s an increase of 13 from the same time last year. May is National Youth Traffic Safety Month, National Bicycle Safety Month, and Motorcycle Awareness Month. Memorial Day also kicks off the 100 deadliest days of summer.
WABI-TV CBS/CW+ 5 Bangor