Local News

9-year-old Maine girl killed in thunderstorm

The girl, from Poland, Maine, was camping with her family at the Sebago Lake Family Campground when the incident occurred.

July 22, 2022

A 9-year-old girl was killed Thursday afternoon in Maine when a large pine tree fell on the car she was seated in during a severe thunderstorm.

The girl, from Poland, Maine, was camping with her family at the Sebago Lake Family Campground when the incident occurred, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office, Standish Fire and Rescue, and Sebago Fire and Rescue responded to the campground, located in the town of Standish, at approximately 4:25 p.m. after getting a report that a tree had fallen on a car, trapping a child inside.

Due to road blockages from fallen debris and trees, emergency response to the campground was difficult, officials said.

“Personnel responding from Standish were stopped approximately 1/10 of a mile from the entrance to the campground, resulting in personnel and equipment arriving on foot,” the sheriff’s office said. “Emergency responders, family members, and campground patrons worked quickly clearing away multiple trees using chain saws, tractors, and a jaws of life tool to extricate the victim. Unfortunately, she was pronounced dead at the scene.”

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The area around the campsite also sustained heavy damage from trees, including to their camper and two vehicles on the campsite. Other sites within the campground and homes in the surrounding area faced similar damage, but there were no other significant injuries or deaths reported.

“For the family left behind to grieve this unimaginable loss, words cannot describe the devastation of losing a child,” Capt. Donald Foss of Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said in a release. “The public safety community offers its heart-felt condolences.”