Members were at the firehouse doing what we usually do when a thunder storm approaches…waiting around in case the tone hits for a lightning strike or wire down. We were taken by surprise when everything outside turned a green tint and the wind began blowing stronger than a normal thunder storm. When the dust settled about 30 seconds later we were confronted with tree limbs all over the front apron of the firehouse. The neighbor’s tree next door, down on the ground. It was then that York Dispatch started toning us out for trees down on houses. Squad 2, Engine 4 and Truck 8 were quickly on the road to answer the calls, but we could not access the calls easily as trees were down across York Street in the village an in the harbor, as well as all the side streets. Engine 1 from York Beach was dispatched to assist and we called two Engines from Kittery to stage and help us answer calls. Eliot provided coverage on York Beach’s side of town. We found multiple, large trees down in to many homes in York Village. Several cars were destroyed as well. A command post was set up at the York Street Baptist Church on York St. During all of this, Truck 8 and Engine 4 responded to a serious car accident on Rt. 1 near Mountain Rd that ended up shutting the entire road down due to a telephone pole snapped in two places and wires on the ground. Oqunquit Fire, Wells EMS and Eliot Fire also assisted with that incident. Special Thanks to A.J. St.Hilaire and Jaime Leighton for the use of their photos.
