Gillian Graham
Portland Press Herald, Maine
YARMOUTH, Maine — Three Yarmouth firefighters and a police officer were injured Friday morning when a stairwell collapsed as they removed a person from a house during a medical emergency.
Yarmouth Fire Chief Michal Robitaille said none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening. Two of the firefighters and the police officer were evaluated and treated at Portland hospitals. The third firefighter declined treatment at the hospital.
The person who was experiencing a medical emergency did not appear to be injured in the collapse, Robitaille said.
The fire department was called to 26 Sligo Road around 5:30 a.m. About 20 minutes later, first responders were moving the resident from a third-floor apartment when an exterior pressure-treated wood stairwell collapsed.
The local code enforcement officer has been notified about the incident, which is now under investigation. The town also notified the Maine Bureau of Labor, which Robitaille said is standard procedure when employees are injured.
The names of the first responders involved in the incident have not been released by the fire department. Robitaille said he did not have updated information on their conditions as of 8:30 a.m.
“Right now we’re taking care of our first responders and making sure they’re OK,” Robitaille said.
The Freeport Fire Department sent an ambulance to the scene to assist after the collapse.
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