A Place of Honor

The Sanford Fire Department hosted representatives from the Maine Forest Service this week, at a special ceremony at the Springvale Station to honor the memory of Firefighter Corydon Goodwin, who lost his life fighting a fire off Twombley Rd. in 1953. The fire consumed 2,800 acres from Springvale to Wells. FF Goodwin was the first Maine firefighter to lose his life battling a wildland fire. The plaque will have a place of honor at the station. FF Goodwin’s name will also be added to the Firefighters’ Memorial in Augusta this year.

Ranger Nelson compared the 1953 fire with one in Kennebunk and Wells in 2018 that burned 300 acres, and in which several current Sanford firefighters took part. The two fires were spurred by similar conditions – very low humidity, high temperatures and fierce winds.

Pictured above, L to R: Forest Ranger Specialist Kent Nelson, Sanford Fire Department Lieutenant Gerry Gay, Fire Chief Steve Benotti, and Maine State Forester – Maine Forest Service Director Patty Cormier.