Three teenage boys who rescued a couple from a fire in Atkinson were honored on Friday.
Colby Simmons, 16, of Dover-Foxcroft, Kaleb Weymouth, 15, of Charleston, and Robert Weymonth, 17, of Charleston were presented with a community heroism award and a commendation letter from the Maine legislature.
In the early morning of Jan. 1, the three boys spotted the fire in the barn and house at 110 North Stagecoach Road and sprang into action, according to the Maine fire marshal’s office.
The boys banged on the doors of the house, and when no one answered, they went into a part of the home that was not yet involved in the fire, woke up the couple who lived there, and helped them out of the house.
They called 911 at 1:44 a.m. and when firefighters arrived, the 1800s farmhouse and attached barn were fully engulfed in flames.
Due to the extent of the damage, the fire has been classified as undetermined, with multiple accidental electrical causes not ruled out, according to the fire marshal’s office.
“Had they not been in the right place at the right time, this could have been a much more tragic fire event,” said state fire marshal Shawn Esler in a news release. “The actions of these young men were heroic and deserving of recognition.”
On Friday, state and local fire officials and state legislators gathered at Foxcroft Academy to recognize the boys’ actions.
Fire officials awarded them with a community heroism award and Rep. Chad Perkins, R-Dover-Foxcroft, presented them with challenge coins and a commendation letter from the Maine Legislature.
