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BELFAST, Maine — The Maine Center for Disease Control is investigating whether the death of a 42-year-old firefighter from Waldo County is connected to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, confirmed Thursday that an investigation is underway.
“Our team of epidemiologists and disease detectives is starting the process of looking into it,” he said.
[Our COVID-19 tracker contains the most recent information on Maine cases by county]
Shah did not give details about the firefighter or the situation. But an online fundraiser that was started on Thursday said that the volunteer firefighter, Lieutenant Harold “Eddie” Moore, Jr., of Jackson, died on Tuesday night.
Moore’s wife worked as a CNA at The Commons at Tall Pines in Belfast, which has suffered a severe outbreak of COVID-19, in which 11 residents have died. She was one of the 11 staff members who tested positive for the disease, according to the GoFundMe website, and had to be quarantined at home.
“While they tried hard to keep Ed from getting it, he ended up catching the virus as well,” the fundraising page said.
Moore’s symptoms had been starting to slowly dissipate, according to the fundraising website. He responded to a fire at a Jackson residence on Tuesday, according to a report from News Center Maine. Later in the evening, he suffered cardiac arrest and died at his home. It was the first Maine line-of-duty firefighter death this year, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.
Hans Albee, Brooks deputy fire chief, also helped fight that fire. He said that after firefighters from his town understood the situation with Moore, they have all individually been in contact with the Maine CDC to get guidelines for their safety and the safety of their families, which they are abiding by.
“What happened to this man is a tragedy to him and his fire department and his community,” Albee said Thursday night. “I’m thankful to the Maine CDC for reaching out to work with us and help us to respond appropriately.”
Watch: Nirav Shah on tracing the origins of coronavirus cases in Maine
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