Correction: Because of incorrect spelling on the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Facebook page, an earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the burn victim. The article was revised Dec. 16 with the man’s name spelled correctly.
A 78-year-old South Berwick man suffered serious burns last week after a propane heater exploded at his makeshift campsite off Boatyard Lane.
Stephen Goodale, who suffered second-degree burns Dec. 8, was transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital where he was listed the next day in serious but stable condition, according to a Facebook statement from the Maine State Fire Marshal’s office.
At 11:39 p.m. last Monday, South Berwick police and York Ambulance were dispatched to a medical emergency at Cumberland Farms, where they encountered Goodale, according to Deputy Chief Scott Stephens. Seeking help, Goodale had driven to the convenience store from his campsite near 34 Boatyard Lane off Route 236, across from Fife’s Lane.
After police spoke with Goodale about how he was burned, an officer went to Boatyard Lane in search of the fire, said Stephens. The South Berwick Fire Department also was called to the scene, and police and firefighters located the makeshift campsite still burning in the woods about 100 yards from the end of Boatyard Lane, according to a Fire Department Facebook post.
The Fire Department controlled the fire and requested assistance from the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office. Investigators located a small portable propane heater and two spent propane cylinders in the area, according to the fire marshal’s online post. The fire marshal’s office determined the next day the incident was an accident.
The Police Department had never been called to the Boatyard Lane site before the fire incident, said Stephens. “We had no prior knowledge or complaints of this shelter being there,” he said, adding the department will have no further involvement.
Goodale’s LinkedIn page says, “I run a very small sailboat salvage, recycling and repair business in Southern Maine.”
Dozens of people commented on the Fire Department’s Dec. 9 Facebook post – which didn’t identify the victim – with many wondering about the man’s identity and what shelter options were available locally.
Responding to those concerns, state Rep. Michele Meyer of Eliot pointed to some options, although limited.
“Folks are realizing we lack an emergency shelter in York County,” Meyers wrote in an email. The nonprofit York County Shelter Program closed about a year ago “for a variety of complicated reasons,” she said, noting there is a 16-bed family shelter in Sanford that is consistently full.
Maine’s General Assistance, or GA, program will issue hotel vouchers for those unhoused who qualify, she said, but actually being able to use a voucher isn’t easy. “Most folks pitching tents/sleeping outdoors or in cars would qualify,” Meyer wrote, but acknowledged it can be difficult to find a hotel that accepts GA vouchers.
South Berwick’s General Assistance Director Dawn Moreau agreed. The voucher program “was abused and now it is hard to find ones (hotels) that will accept them,” Moreau stated in an email, adding the town’s GA will provide housing assistance to applicants who qualify, but individuals are required to locate the housing themselves.
“It is a last resort program, and they would be required to apply to DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) and talk with YCCAC (York County Community Action Corporation) first,” Moreau noted.
In order to qualify for General Assistance, applicants must provide the following, according to the Town website:
“Proof of all household income including: pay stubs, TANF, SSI and SSDI statements; financial statements from all your bank accounts; name and address of your landlord; your driver’s license or other identification; your Social Security number and the Social Security numbers of all members of your household; a doctor’s statement if you are ill, disabled, or not able to work; insurance policies; title and registration for any car, truck or recreational vehicle you own.”
Erin McGann, South Berwick’s behavioral health liaison, also acknowledged South Berwick’s General Assistance program is a “last resort,” and said limited resources are available in the area to shelter the unhoused.
“Although not official, some churches may help out,” said McGann, who was not called in for support during the campsite incident.
In addition to General Assistance, which is most often used for housing issues, Mainspring social service collective in Kittery is a resource for people in the Seacoast who need help finding shelter, according to Meyer.
The Boatyard Lane fire remains under review by the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office.
