Maine Democratic Party

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008

CONTACT: REBECCA POLLARD 772-4353 OR CELL: 233-7380

Volunteers going door-to-door for Rep. Tom Allen and others smell smoke, call 9-1-1

(FARMINGDALE, MAINE) - Two volunteers for the Maine Democratic Party who were going door-to-door Sunday to Get Out The Vote for Rep. Tom Allen and their party's other candidates spotted smoke coming from a Farmingdale home, called 9-1-1, and are credited with saving the home from going up in flames.

Rick Langley of Hallowell and Janet Cowperthwaite of Winthrop-both loyal Democratic activists-were canvassing in Farmingdale, a community outside the state's capitol of Augusta, when they spotted and smelled smoke that concerned them. They called 9-1-1 and later saw the Fire Department arrive.

Today, the Maine Democratic Party inadvertently called the home of Cheryl and Dennis Ladd, where the smoke had been spotted, as part of an Election Day effort to get its supporters to the polls. Cheryl Ladd told them she had already voted and hoped to find the canvassers who alerted authorities to the smoke so she could personally thank them. Ladd said the smoke had been caused by a pot of chicken soup that boiled over. After receiving the call from Langley, the Fire Department went to the home and broke down the door to enter. Ladd said the fire officials told her the home would have soon gone up in flames had the Fire Department not been alerted when they were.

"The canvassers saved my home," said Cheryl Ladd. "Their timing was perfect. If they hadn't come by when they did and called 9-1-1 my house might have gone up in flames."

Ladd said her home is a townhouse connected to two other units, so the quick-thinking could have saved those homes as well.

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