07/26/2026
MEDIA RELEASE: BUILDING FIRE - 4 CLIFFORD STREET BIDDEFORD.
Prepared by: Larry Best, Fire Chief
Date: July 26, 2026
Incident Type: Building Fire
Incident Location: 4 Clifford Street, Biddeford
Incident Commander: Steven Szostek, Captain/Shift Commander
Initial Dispatch Time: 03:32pm
First Unit on Scene: S**o Tanker 6 & S**o Car 9 at 3:38pm
Number of Engines in response: 8
Number of Ladder trucks in response: 3
Number of Ambulances in response: 3
Number of Firefighters/Personnel: 32
Biddeford apparatus in response: Biddeford Engine 22, Truck 32, Squad 28, Car 7-Shift Commander and Car 1-Chief.
Mutual Aid to Scene: Arundel Engine 44; S**o Ladder 1, Ambulance 3 & Car 4; Old Orchard Beach Engine 72; Goodwins Mills Engine 83; Scarborough Ambulance 2 & Car 4.
Mutual Aid/Station Coverage: Scarborough Ladder 1, Goodwins Mills Ambulance 86; Sanford Engine 1 and Kennebunk Engine 3.
Rescues: None
Injuries: 1 Civilian with minor burns, not transported to the hospital by EMS.
General Incident Description:
This afternoon at approximately 3:32pm the Biddeford Reginal Communications Center received a 911 call reporting a problem a building fire at 4 Clifford Street. A desk box assignment was dispatched with the S**o Fire Department units arriving first at 3:38pm. All the Biddeford Fire and EMS units were tied-up with two other significant EMS incidents at the time the building fire 911 call was received. One was for a patient with significant burns and the other was for a cardiac arrest.
Upon arrival at 4 Clifford Street S**o units found a fire in the crawl space under the house. Due to fences and landscaping around the house, the crawl space and back of the house where the fire originated were difficult to access with hose lines. Crews had to cut three chain link fences to access the area of the fire. An All-Hands assignment was requested at 3:43pm. The All-Hands assignment brought additional mutual aid from S**o, Arundel, Goodwin’s Mills, Old Orchard Beach and Scarborough to the scene; and Scarborough, Goodwins Mills, Sanford and Kennebunk to Cover the Biddeford Central Station along with Biddeford off-duty members. Crews had the fire contained at approximately 4:00pm and then spent the next hour checking for fire extension on the first floor and conducting a cause and origin investigation. All fire units cleared the scene by 5:00pm.
The Biddeford Police Department assisted with traffic control.
There was one civilian who suffered minor burns from trying to extinguish the fire prior to the arrival of the Fire Department. No firefighter injuries.
Cause: The cause and origin of the fire is under investigation by the Biddeford Fire Department Fire Prevention Division but at this time it appears to be accidental.
This was the 8th call of the day since 8:00am this morning for the Biddeford Fire Department. BFD crews were operating at and responding to simultaneously calls when the building fire 911 call was received at 3:32pm.
-8:22am EMS Incident - EMS 14 - medical transport to the hospital
-09:16am EMS Incident - EMS 10 - medical - no transport
-12:38pm EMS Incident - EMS 14 - medical- no transport
-1:33pm EMS Incident- Mutual Aid to S**o
-2:11pm EMS Incident - EMS 14 significant burn patient- transport to the hospital
-2:26pm EMS Incident - EMS 10 medical- transport to the hospital
-3:29pm EMS Incident - EMS 10 & Engine 22 cardiac arrest-
-3:32pm Building Fire 4 Clifford Street
