The State Fire Marshal’s Office on Thursday identified the two people who died in a Sunday morning fire in Bar Harbor, as well as members of the family who escaped.
Earlene Harding, 79, and her 57-year-old son, Leroy Harding, died in the fire, which destroyed their home at 99 Russell Farm Road, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
The victims’ names had been withheld pending an examination and positive identification by the state Medical Examiner’s Office.
McCausland identified the family members who escaped as Percy Harding, Earlene Harding’s husband, and their son Raymond Harding.
Percy Harding is in his 80s while Raymond Harding, who jumped to safety from a second-floor window, is in his 50s. Percy Harding was treated at Maine Medical Center in Portland and discharged Thursday, according to a nursing supervisor. Raymond Harding was treated at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and released.
Fire investigators said the fire was so intense it burned the Hardings’ farmhouse to the foundation. McCausland said the structural damage was so extensive that it’s unlikely the cause will ever be determined.
The fire was reported around 8:15 a.m. Sunday.
Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
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