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'He died doing the job he loved, helping his brother firefighters'

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Firefighter Joel Barnes on the job he loved so much. (Facebook post photo courtesy of Leo Conlon),

BERWICK, Maine - Berwick and area firefighters have begun a 24-hour vigil over the body of a Berwick Fire Captain who died on Friday while battling an apartment fire on Bell Street.

The solemn vigil began upon the arrival of a procession from the medical examiner's office in Concord, H.H., which ended at the Tasker Funeral Home in Dover, N.H. The vigil will continue without interruption until funeral services, which have not yet been scheduled.

The vigil begins as the town of Berwick and surrounding communities continue to grapple with the tragic death of Berwick Fire & Rescue Captain Joel Barnes.

Barnes, 32, was a paramedic and served as the Berwick Fire & Rescue training officer and emergency medical services coordinator. He previously worked for the Horry County, South Carolina Fire Rescue Department, South Berwick Rescue, York Ambulance and the Old Orchard Beach Fire Department before joining Berwick Fire in July 2016. He was also an active per diem firefighter for the town of Acton, Maine.

As the public and firefighting community grieve, Barnes' boss said his town lost a firefighter who paid the supreme price while protecting those he served.

"Captain Barnes died a hero, battling a large and dangerous building fire. He made the ultimate sacrifice for his community," said Berwick Fire Chief Dennis Plante.

Berwick Town Manager Stephen G. Eldridge added that it's the nature of firefighters to do the unnatural.

"Firefighters run toward danger and into places that everyone else is running away from. Captain Barnes lost his life saving others," Eldridge said. "While we honor him, we are struck with a profound sense of grief today. On behalf of the enter Berwick community, I wish to thank everyone for their offers of support and expressions of condolence."

Meanwhile, the family is asking for privacy in their time of sorrow.

In a brief statement about Capt. Barnes, they said:

"Joel always wanted to be a firefighter. He died doing the job he loved, helping his brother firefighters. Joel died a hero, and while nothing can ease the tremendous sense of loss and grief that we are now feeling, we are proud that his final actions were selfless.

"Joel leaves his mother, father, sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew, along with extended family. We have been overwhelmed by expressions of sorrow and offers of support from our neighbors in Berwick, from throughout Maine and New Hampshire, and from the firefighting community.

"We are asking for privacy so that our family can come together during this time."

An initial finding indicates that Barnes was leading another firefighter in an interior attack of the fire when conditions suddenly worsened.

The origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation.

The family of Captain Barnes requests that any donations being made in his name go to the Berwick Volunteer Firefighters Association in his memory c/o Kennebunk Saving Bank, 2 School St., Berwick, ME 03901.

A biblical Facebook post on Barnes' page from early today may have summed it up best. It came from Leo Conlon, a former firefighters from Horry County in South Carolina, who worked with Barnes. From John 15:13, it reads, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

John Guilfoil Public Relations LLC contributed to this report.

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