March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Fire kills 2 children in Bangor > Storm, faulty detectors blamed in fatal blaze

BANGOR — Two children were killed and their mother critically injured by a fire that swept through their French Street home early Sunday. A violent rainstorm and faulty smoke detectors were said to have contributed to the deaths.

James Brown Jr., 7, and his 3-year-old sister, Amanda, died of smoke inhalation at Eastern Maine Medical Center early Sunday, fire officials said. Their mother, 31-year-old Rhonda Brown, was listed in critical condition at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Their father, James, was not home at the time, authorities said.

The 1:30 a.m. fire apparently began in the basement, where rain from the storm set off sparks that moved through the home’s wiring, according to Jim Ellis, an investigator with the state Fire Marshal’s Office.

Save for the debris, broken windows, and scorch marks on neighboring homes, 270 French St. appeared nearly unscathed from the outside.

“There was very little fire damage inside,” Ellis said.

Inside, though, firefighters found four smoke detectors that failed to alert the family — one, an electrical detector, was knocked out of commission by the storm. Of the other three, one did not have a battery, and the batteries in the other two apparently were dead.

“Our hope is this will bring some awareness to people” about maintaining their smoke detectors, Ellis said.

Mrs. Brown works at the Education & Training Center at Eastern Maine Medical Center, where she teaches hospital employees to improve their communications skills, according to a former colleague.

The Browns had been attending St. John’s Catholic Church for at least three years, according to the Rev. James Brewer. James Jr. was in first grade at the church’s school, he said.

At the time of the fire, Mrs. Brown had been studying to become a member of the church. As she lay in the hospital on Sunday morning, Mrs. Brown was baptized, Brewer said.

“It’s a very sad thing,” said a neighbor, Edrie Adams, who lives across the street.

Nancy Taylor, who served with Mrs. Brown on St. John’s Council of Catholic Women, said Brown loves to write, work on her computer and talk about her children.

Last spring, Taylor said, Mrs. Brown wrote a Mother’s Day commentary about the joy of motherhood for the church newsletter.

“She’s a very spiritual young lady, a very wonderful mother,” Taylor said.


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