PORTLAND – Frank Fixaris, a sports broadcaster known for his deep baritone voice and encyclopedic knowledge of sports in a career that spanned five decades, died Friday when a fire broke out in his home in Falmouth.
Fixaris’ body was found on a couch in the family room of the 1-story home on the Middle Road. The blaze was caused by careless disposal of smoking materials, according to the state fire marshal’s office.
Fixaris, 71, was a smoker and investigators theorized that he may have fallen asleep while smoking. Fixaris’ wife, Barbara, dialed 911 after smelling smoke in her upstairs bedroom at 3:34 a.m. She escaped without injury.
Firefighters tried to enter the family room but were driven back by heavy smoke and flames. Fire damage was limited to the one room, Fire Chief Cameron Martin said.
Fixaris was seriously injured in a fire more than 45 years ago in the fall of 1960 at a lakeside camp outside Portland where he was living with roommates, according to WGAN newsman Dick Johnson, a former colleague.
That fire, which was caused by a gas leak, claimed the life of one of the roommates and left Fixaris with severe hand burns, Johnson recalled.
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