Richard Macdonald spent 40 years creating his life's work, functional and decorative stained glass artwork. His studio workshop on the east side of Boothbay Harbor housed his art, his tools, his business, and probably a good chunk of his soul.

Last Thursday night, fire destroyed it all in less than two hours. Macdonald's letter in the letters' section of this newspaper describes the fire as the ultimate bad stroke in a string of misfortunes.

Dave Benner, Boothbay Harbor Emergency Management Director, said that Lincoln County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call from Macdonald's neighbors, who reported an explosion with flames at about 6:15 p.m. The call was transferred to Boothbay Harbor Communication Center, which notified the Boothbay Harbor fire and police departments and requested mutual aid from Boothbay, Southport, and Edgecomb.

Benner said that he arrived on the scene within two minutes of the call to find the fire still confined to the inside of Macdonald's studio. Fire Chief Glenn Townsend and Police Officer Jody Lewis were the next to arrive on the scene. They quickly determined that no one was home and tried in vain to move a motor vehicle parked outside the residence.

While they waited for the fire truck to arrive, Townsend and Benner noticed that the outside walls of the residence, located about 15 feet from the studio, were starting to steam. They realized that the house would soon catch fire as well. When the first fire truck arrived about 12 minutes after the initial call, Benner said that they "blitzed" the residence, which had erupted into flames. Because of this quick focus on Macdonald's residence, firefighters were able to limit damage to the exterior of the house.

Macdonald's studio was another matter. It took firefighters from Boothbay Harbor, Boothbay, and Southport about one and a half hours to get the studio fire under control. Benner said that the additional water supplied from the Boothbay and Southport fire trucks was invaluable. However, despite their combined firefighting effort, the studio and its contents are a total loss. Benner said that the Fire Marshall's preliminary determination is that the fire started in a propane heater in the center of the studio.

Macdonald was in Philadelphia at a trade show when the fire occurred. His daughter, Amber Jones said that he is expected to return on Wednesday, February 20 and that she and friends will be there to meet him. Jones said that although the loss of studio, artwork, and place of business is devastating, she and her father are grateful that no one was in the studio and for the "heroic efforts of the firefighters." "It's amazing that we didn't lose the house," she said.