PERU — First responders and bystanders were not able to save an 81-year-old man Saturday morning when the boom-lift equipment and the bucket he was in caught fire after touching electrical lines, according to fire officials.
Gilles Anctil, 81, was operating a boom and bucket while trimming trees on Greenwoods Road in Peru when the boom came into contact with electrical lines, causing an arc which ruptured hydraulic lines and started a fire, Maine Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said.
“Attempts by bystanders to remove Gilles from the bucket were unsuccessful,” Moss said. “Anctil was pronounced dead at the scene.”
The Office of Chief Medical Examiner and OSHA have been notified, said Moss.
Responding agencies included Peru Fire Department, Office of State Fire Marshal, Oxford County Sheriff’s Department and Central Maine Power.
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