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On April 4, Eric Whitman returned to his home on Water Street in Old Town. He checked his FirstClass account, threw a load of laundry in the dryer and left the house. Hours later, it was on fire.
Whitman shared the house with his wife, Hope, and their two 5-year-old sons. Hope and Eric Whitman are both non-traditional, full-time students at the University of Maine.
Eric, 34, is an engineering student and Hope, 24, is majoring in marine biology.
Standing on the track in Morse Field, eyeing a handful of students practice football, Eric recounted the fire. He stood with his arms crossed, wearing a black football windbreaker and a white UMaine visor over his dark brown hair. He accepted returned jerseys and equipment from one of the players – part of his role as president of the UMaine Football Club.
Hope is treasurer of the club, and their sons often fill the role of ball boy.
“He lives for this team. He has done amazing things to keep the team going,” said Benjamin Christy, a team member.
On April 6, when they were allowed back in the house to salvage their belongings, four carloads of football club players were waiting to help.
“They continued to come most of that week,” Eric said.
“I helped out because he’s not only a coach, but also a friend. And I know that he would do the same for any of us,” Christy said.
Eric said they had so much help that piles of their belongings were stacked on the lawn before their truck could be filled.
“Our [club] officers stepped up as well,” Eric said. He explained that team members helped take over practice while the Whitmans dealt with their home. The team meets twice a week for practices and scrimmages.
At the time of the fire, the Whitmans were in the process of moving. The landlord they had been renting from had filed for bankruptcy and was letting them remain at the house until the bank took over. They had found a house on Bodwell Street in Old Town and were sleeping there most nights.
They were still using the house on Water Street to store most of their belongings.
“I was using the advantage of having an empty house,” Eric said.
He would often spend time there in the early morning or late night, doing homework and studying for tests.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, but police and fire officials believe it started somewhere around the kitchen. Eric feared it was the laundry he had left drying. Fire officials said that wasn’t the cause.
“They may never figure it out,” Eric said.
The rest of the house is fine, but the fire destroyed the kitchen and laundry room.
“We lost three-quarters of our stuff,” Eric said. “Those are the things that can be replaced.”
Even in these tough economic times, the Whitmans have seen a gracious outreach from community members. They received two sets of used washers and dryers, homemade quilts from a Houlton church, bedding from an engineering department employee and a mattress from a friend.
“We got a handful of Easter cards with nothing in them … but it made us feel good,” Eric said.
He estimated that they lost $20,000 worth of belongings.
“We’re just broke students. [Financial] aid keeps going down; tuition keeps going up,” Eric said.
He said they are banking on yard sales that pop up during the spring season. This will help them to replace some of their household necessities.
“The professors have been really good, too,” Eric said.
Hands on his hips, Eric explained he had just taken a test that was two weeks overdue.
“It’s hard enough being in the engineering program,” Eric said.
The Whitman boys are having a hard time comprehending the fire. Eric said they don’t understand why they can’t have their smoke-damaged toys when they visit the old house.
“They don’t understand. … They don’t like the fact,” Eric said.
He said the boys are not too fazed by the fire, but are most upset about their handheld and video games that are no longer usable.
“At least we weren’t there. … I’d rather have my house burn down than lose my kids.”
“Knowing them as I do, I feel like they will be able to get past this and continue on with their lives,” Christy said.
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