Daughters of fallen Maine firefighter pen open letter to community
Michael Bell, a captain with the Farmington Fire Department, was killed last week in a building explosion.
The daughters of the Maine firefighter who was killed in the propane explosion in Farmington last week have penned an open letter thanking the community for the outpouring of support they have received.
Michael Bell, a 30-year veteran of the Farmington Fire Department, was a “humble man,” his daughters wrote, and in keeping with the 68-year-old’s wishes, the family is mourning him privately.
“It’s been challenging for us to navigate our father’s passing because he lost his life in such a tragic, public way,” the three women said.
Five other firefighters, including Bell’s brother Fire Chief Terry Bell, an ambulance worker, and a maintenance worker at the nonprofit housed in the building that exploded were injured in the blast that took the 68-year-old’s life. The investigation into the cause of the Sept. 16 blast is ongoing.
Michael Bell’s daughters, Michelle Fish, Danielle Flannery, and Sara Bell, wrote on Sunday they fully support a public tribute event once “all of the injured have returned home and are able to participate.”
They thanked the community for the support demonstrated when their father’s body was brought back to Farmington last week from the state medical examiner’s office — noting the “countless” first responders saluting him to seeing aerial ladders hung with American flags.
“We were so moved by the people lining the streets in salute, with hands held over hearts, holding flags and handmade signs thanking our dad for his service,” they wrote. “To all of you who participated in Tuesday’s procession, please know that we SAW you as we passed by and we FELT your honor for him and your love.”
Bell’s daughters wrote they are “in awe” of the brotherhood of firefighters near and far who have paid tribute to their father, saying the expressions of support online have “wrapped [them] with a virtual hug.”
“The fire service has been a huge part of our father’s life for the past 35 years,” they wrote. “He loved being a firefighter and it provides a bit of solace knowing that he died doing something that was so important to him. He was our hero, not because of how he died, but because of the way he lived his life every day.”
Read the full letter below:
https://www.facebook.com/Danielle1017/posts/10214142073053204
