Who Pays for Extraordinary Fire Costs? Trenton Board Weighs Limits of Public Funds

Shaun Farrar

Feb 20, 2026

TRENTON—After being a hot topic of discussion at the Trenton Select Board meeting, Tuesday, February 17, a bill for construction equipment used at a December 22 evening fire at 48 Pressey Lane in Trenton has already been taken care of according to Goodwin’s Construction on Friday.

Goodwin’s has donated the service and time, Colton Sanborn said Friday.

The subject came up at the town’s select board meeting because the Fire Chief Steve Heckman worried that the company, which responded after working hours, might not get paid.

During the meeting, the select board members and town fire chief discussed the cost of the service, after having incurred 30-days interest, is $1,868.48. At that point, the bill which had been sent to the trust that owns the house, had not been paid.

At approximately 6:31 p.m., December 22, initial reports of visible smoke and fire at the former home of Ed Lyon were called in and the Trenton Volunteer Fire Department responded. Crews from Ellsworth, Lamoine, and Hancock also fought the fire.

When a section of the second floor failed, one Trenton firefighter was injured.

According to a statement released by the Trenton Volunteer Fire Department, “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.”

At the select board meeting, Chief Heckman informed the select board members of the delinquent bill.

“Due to the nature of that fire I needed to call in an excavator and that’s a little bit above and beyond what our normal suppression activities are,” Chief Heckman said.

Chief Heckman asked how the select board wanted to handle the situation and said that he feels that the property owner would normally be responsible for the extraordinary costs.

Stating that it was his understanding that the resident did not have any homeowner’s insurance, Chief Heckman said, “My gut feeling is that because they are a local company, we called, they answered, they should get paid.”

“My concern is that if we need to call them again, we would like them to show up,” Chief Heckman said.

Chief Heckman later added that he doesn’t want companies to think they won’t get paid if responding to Trenton.

“I got the address for the folks that own the property, or at least are responsible for the property, and I provided that to Goodwin’s Construction because they’re the ones that answered the call and came,” Chief Heckman told the select board.

Select Board Chair Fred Ehrlenbach said that the town is not allowed to use public funds for a private entity and he feels that is basically what the request is.

Ehrlenbach also said that the town cannot put a lien on the property because it is not tax related but Goodwin’s could if they chose to.

The fire department is allowed to take whatever steps are necessary to fight the fire and the homeowner is responsible for the costs under state statute, according to Ehrlenbach.

Town Administrator Carol Walsh suggested that Goodwins send the responsible party a bill via certified mail.

Days after the fire, a fundraiser had been started for 73-year-old Ed Lyon, the resident of the home that was destroyed by the fire. That fundraiser was quickly paused, and still says that it is paused, while Lyon tries to determine if any funds raised impact benefits he receives.

According to the Trenton tax commitment book, the property is held in a trust with an address of Arizona.

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