The State Fire Marshal’s Office said an early-morning fire at a vacant building in Bangor on Sunday resulted in the deaths of three men.
All three victims were homeless, according to Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Fire Marshal’s Office. Two other people were rescued, including one who was taken to a hospital.
The victims were identified as 28-year-old Tim Tuttle, 31-year-old Dylan Smith, and 56-year-old Andrew Allen. Autopsies will be conducted Monday at the State Medical Examiner’s Office.
A 911 call at 4:43 a.m. alerted emergency responders to the fire at 194 and 196 Union Street. The duplex had been vacant for about one year, Moss said.
A passerby helped one person escape the burning building, while the second survivor was rescued by members of the Bangor Fire Department. One of them was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. Once the fire had been extinguished, the Bangor Fire Department discovered the three victims inside.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office, the Bangor Police Department and the Bangor Fire Department.
News Center Maine interviewed Robert Kearns, who is known in Bangor as a homeless advocate. Kearns said the people who died in the fire had been living under the I-395 bridge in Bangor. The city cleared out that homeless community a few days ago, according to Kearns.
Kearns said the homeless individuals sought shelter in the Union Street building. Windows and doors of the two-story home had been boarded up.
Investigators are expected to return to the scene on Monday.
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