York Town News
Lightning strike has family offering thanks for local firefighters, police
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK VILLAGE - They say lightning never strikes the same place twice, and Deb and Stacy Bradburn certainly hope that is the case.The husband and wife were at home during the violent thunderstorm that shook the town on Thursday, June 1, preparing to have dinner with their college-age children, when a bolt of lightning struck their chimney, scattering bricks and sending the family out into the pouring rain to survey the damage.
Deb, who is no stranger to calls from the media as a finalist for 2006 Maine Teacher of the Year, said she and Stacy would share their story to thank the town's emergency personnel for their dedication.
Stacy explained he called the York Police Department just to report the house had been hit, but the dispatcher at once told him of the need for a response from the York and York Beach Fire Departments. As Stacy and the couple's sons went to the attic to investigate, they saw there was indeed smoke present. An electric smoke detector, however, had been rendered powerless by the storm - along with innumerable devices such as computers and televisions.
As soon as it was clear there was a fire in the walls, Stacy said the family headed outside, hearing the sound of fire engines approaching their home.
"I saw the smoke billowing out of the eves. I thought, this really is serious," Deb said of the time she spent standing in the rain as neighbors gathered to support the family. "They really did come quickly, and it was just amazing to watch how they attacked the problem. It seemed that everybody knew what they were doing."
Stacy likened them to a "well-oiled machine" or a winning sports team with York Village Chief Chris Balentine as the coach on the scene.
"I just feel very, very grateful," Deb said. "When I was a child my family had been through a fire where I lost my older sister Cindy, so when I saw the smoke I was terrified. She was only six years old at the time."
Deb said she held her breath, remembering that heartbreaking loss and fearing for those who entered her house to fight the hidden blaze.
"When I went inside, they had done such a remarkable job to protect our home. We just keep thinking how phenomenal they were," she said. "I am just so grateful nobody was hurt. I feel that we were really blessed and there were a lot of people looking out for us."
Stacy agreed, and urged others to call the police in cases like this, even if everything seems to be alright. And while there will be work to do to bring their home back to its prior condition, the Bradburns are focusing on what they have.
"We made a huge batch of whoopie pies and we marched those right down to the fire station," Deb said.
Looking at the burns within the walls of their home, Stacy said it was only a matter of time before the fire took hold - if not for the quick response of the town's emergency personnel.
"We couldn't say enough good things about them. Certainly the tax dollars in York that go to the fire and police departments are well spent," Stacy said. "Hopefully people never have to find that out, but when you do, like we did on Thursday, it's amazing."
