By Dr. Robert Breazeale -
The summer of 1947 was one of the driest in Maine history. Water supplies dwindled, but the people of Maine did not worry. Rain always came in the fall. But by October, there had been little rain. The fires that devastated Maine in October of 1947 began on the 17th. Although in the first three days relatively small areas were burned, the blaze intensified. A number of fires were burning in different areas of the state. In the Bar Harbor-Acadia National Park area, 2,300 acres were burned on October 22nd. Bar Harbor residents not actively engaged in firefighting tried to find safety. At one point, all roads from the town were blocked by flames. People took refuge on the beach and then waded into the ocean to avoid being burned alive. Fishermen from nearby coastal communities began to evacuate the residents of Bar Harbor. Nearly 400 people left by sea.
To the south, things were no better. Parts of the towns of Biddeford, Saco and Scarborough were destroyed by the flames. Area fire departments finally decided to make a final stand against the flames at the top of a hill overlooking Kennebunkport. Through their efforts and a list-minute shift in the wind, the town was spared. Property damage was extensive throughout the state, exceeding $23 million. But thanks to the efforts of the fire crew and area residents, the loss of human life was minimal.
I am currently involved with a project, Maine Resilience, that is working with local fire departments, Scarborough being one of these, in developing public education seminars in resilience. The skills and the attitudes that we will be teaching are the same ones that were used by the firefighters and people of Maine who survived the worst series of wildfires the state had ever seen: teamwork, flexibility, effective communication and optimism, to name just a few. These are some of the skills and attitudes that build and maintain resilience, the ability to bounce back, to manage adversity.
To learn more about “The Year Maine Burned” go to Acadia.net. To learn more about Maine Resilience and our training program, “Duct Tape Isn’t Enough,” go to Reachinghome.com.
Ron Breazeale, Ph.D. Psychologist is the author of “Duct Tape Isn’t Enough”.
For more on the Great Fires of 1947 read here.
