Carrie Jones

Dec 26, 2025

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by First National Bank.

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TRENTON—A fundraiser for the Trenton man who lost his home to a fire earlier this week has been paused while he tries to determine if any funds raised impact benefits he receives.

Ed Lyon’s Pressey Lane home was destroyed during a December 22 evening fire. A local firefighter was injured during the blaze, which had multiple structural collapses.

The fire began close to 6:31 p.m. Initial reports were of visible smoke and fire. It is likely to have started from wood stove embers that caught a couch near the wood stove on fire.

“The sole occupant of the residence was able to escape the structure and was not injured,” according to a press release from the Trenton Volunteer Fire Department.

Lyon is 73.

“His house and everything in it was a total loss, including his life savings,” according to David Leland, who started the fundraiser. “We’re raising funds so that he can get back on his feet as he looks for a new place to live and starts over at age 73.”

Donations would be used to help Lyon purchase “food, basic home essentials, and help cover the costs associated with cleaning up the site where his home once stood to protect his neighbors’ well water.”

The goal had been to raise $4,000. They’d already raised $2,630. GoFundMe allows users the option to delete fundraisers and return donations. It also allows users to put fundraisers on pause for situations like Lyon’s.

Lyon’s predicament isn’t unusual. If he’s receiving a means-tested benefit, crowdfunding could put him past the limited financial assets required to have that eligibility and any funds raised would likely be considered unearned income by government agencies such as the Social Security Administration.

To avoid this, some people speak to an attorney focused on special needs and often set up a special needs trust (SNT) or ABLE account, according to Stephen Dale for the Special Needs Alliance.

The 48 Pressey Lane home is owned by the Lyon Family Trust. Neighbors have said that the resident, a Lyon, has currently found a place to stay with a friend.

Crews from Trenton as well as Ellsworth, Lamoine, and Hancock fought the fire. Firefighters were met with heavy fire conditions on arrival.

Quickly after the work began, the home’s second floor collapsed. Then, the roof partially collapsed.

“During the incident, one firefighter was injured when a section of the second floor failed,” the fire department said. “The firefighter was taken to a local hospital and treated for a concussion, neck, and back injuries.”

Because so much of the home was involved with the fire and because of how much of the structure had collapsed, the department called in an excavator. That excavator was used for suppression and overhaul.

“The dwelling reportedly contained approximately 20,000 books and a considerable vinyl record collection, contributing to a substantial fire load. With the structure severely compromised and the fire deeply seated in areas inaccessible to firefighters, the use of heavy equipment was required to safely expose and fully extinguish remaining fire while minimizing the risk to personnel,” the department said.