The tragedy of a Maine firefighter who was fatally injured while shielding a colleague from flames was compounded on Sunday by the death of a fire chief who had a medical emergency at the memorial service.
Oxford fire chief Gary Sacco suffered the emergency as several thousand people, including hundreds of firefighters from across New England, gathered to honor Berwick fire captain Joel Barnes’ sacrifice. Barnes was fatally injured in a four-alarm fire earlier this month.
Sacco was stricken at the funeral, rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead in the emergency room, Maine Medical Center spokesman Matt Wickenheiser said, without elaborating.
Photo: AP
“Our hearts, already broken by the loss of Captain Joel Barnes, also mourn the loss of Oxford Fire Chief Gary Sacco. In a testament to his own character, Chief Sacco lost his life while honoring that of his fallen brother, fellow firefighter Captain Barnes,” Mills said.
“I join with people across Maine in offering my thoughts and prayers to Chief Sacco’s family and friends, the Oxford Fire Department, and all of Maine’s first responders. The State of Maine has given two of its best to the Heavens,” he said.
Barnes made the “ultimate sacrifice,” Berwick Fire Chief Dennis Plante said.
“He is my hero,” Plante said.
The service was held at the Cross Insurance Arena, one of the few venues in Maine big enough to host such a large gathering.
The 32-year-old Barnes was the first firefighter to die while battling a fire in at least three decades in Maine.
Barnes’ uncle, also named Joel, grew teary as he described a nephew who grew up dedicated to serving the community as a firefighter. He recalled how an elderly neighbor once gave a plastic firefighter hat to then-toddler Joel, who soon became “obsessed” with studying fire science books and preparing himself for a career that took him from Maine to Massachusetts, to South Carolina and back to his family in Maine.
“Without hesitation, he gave his life to save the life of another firefighter,” the elder Barnes said. “And he did it in the most selfless, courageous way possible.”
Maine Governor Janet Mills lowered flags to half-staff to honor firefighter Barnes.
She said his life and service exemplified “unfaltering courage, selflessness and love for his fellow man.”
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