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Metal roofing and siding added to the challenge firefighters faced last week in Houlton and Belfast as they battled blazes that toppled structures and left a child dead.

Metal roofing and siding added to the challenge firefighters faced last week in Houlton and Belfast as they battled blazes that toppled structures and left a child dead.

Property owners have turned to metal roofs for years for their longevity and easy maintenance, and even as protection against fires. But when a fire breaks out, metal roofs are difficult for firefighters to cut through, taking up precious time when every second matters, and the roofs become slippery, adding to the hazards firefighters face.

On Wednesday morning, fire crews in Houlton attempted to battle a fire that ripped through a 14-unit apartment building, which ultimately killed a 4-year-old and sent the child’s siblings to the hospital. It took several hours for crews to knock down the fire, and the structure’s metal roof made it difficult for firefighters to attack the flames.

A day later, in Belfast, an early morning fire engulfed the Penobscot McCrum potato processing plant. Similarly, metal siding and roofing presented an added difficulty for fire crews.

In fighting a fire, firefighters need to ventilate it by busting a hole in the roof. That allows the heat and gasses that aid combustion to escape while crews work to knock down the fire below. 

“When we try to cut through metal roofing, it’s difficult to do because our saws are geared towards asphalt and wood, those types of things,” said Geoff Low, Orono’s fire chief and public safety director. “Metal takes longer to cut through with standard equipment, like a regular chainsaw.”

While larger fire departments like Orono’s, Old Town’s and Bangor’s have specialized equipment on hand for the task, smaller, rural departments likely don’t, Low said. 

On top of that, cutting through metal is more labor-intensive, requiring more firefighters — which smaller departments often don’t have, he said.

Metal roofing — especially in older buildings and houses — is often built on top of pre-existing wooden or asphalt shingles, Low said, meaning there are multiple layers to cut through, with some made of flammable materials. 

“The fire can extend up the wall, get into the roof and start running underneath that metal roofing, which creates a problem for us,” he said.  

Then, metal roofs easily become slippery, Low said. 

Ladders on fire trucks feature two hooks on the end, like snake fangs, that attach the ladder to a roof and make it stable for firefighters, he said. 

“There have been some cases where firefighters thought they had the ladder set, but when they got on, the metal allowed the fangs of the ladder to slip and the ladder started to slide down the roof while they were on it, which makes a pretty hazardous situation,” he said.

The danger doesn’t stop there. If there is snow, ice or water on a metal roof it is nearly impossible to move across because it is too slippery. 

Large, factory-like structures, such as the potato processing facility in Belfast, typically have metal backing and metal decking. But there is also asphalt and stone on top of that to protect the roof from the elements. There can also be wooden framing underneath, he said. 

This means a firefighter may land on a flat roof but have to cut through multiple layers to ventilate a blaze. Cutting through a roof like that can take six firefighters, Low said. 

Metal roofing gained popularity in the 1800s as technology evolved to prevent rusting. At the time, they were seen as “fireproofing” buildings, according to the National Park Service. 

Homeowners and builders shouldn’t shy away from metal roofs, Low said. But firefighters need the proper tools to fight fires in metal-roofed structures. 

“The problem is, in some of these smaller towns or some of these more rural areas, they don’t have a lot of people to start with, it’s very labor-intensive and money is an issue,” Low said. 

On top of that, Low said fires nowadays seem to burn at higher temperatures due to the materials used today in construction. When you combine hotter fires with metal roofs that are a challenge for firefighters to get through, it’s not easy to knock a fire down, he said. 

“This has been a problem forever. There’s no doubt about it,” Low said. “But I think the reduction of firefighters and the increased intensity of fires is making it more of a challenge.”

Sawyer Loftus is a reporter covering Old Town, Orono and the surrounding areas. A recent graduate of the University of Vermont, Sawyer grew up in Vermont where he's worked for Vermont Public Radio, The... More by Sawyer Loftus