(seacoastonline.com) – While a pair of historic State Street Saloon buildings was engulfed by a historic inferno Monday morning, two Portsmouth firefighters rescued an American flag and a saloon sign before the buildings imploded.
The rescues were made by Fire Capt. Ken Smith and firefighter John Goodwin, both of whom needed coaxing to share the story.
“It was just the right thing to do at the time,” Smith said. “The State Street Saloon may have owned the flag, but it belongs to all of us.”
Goodwin said he and Smith were among many firefighters trying to stop the April 10 fire inside the saloon buildings where they could see flames burning inside the ceilings above them. Smith was supervising the interior scene and a commanding firefighter on the exterior made the decision to pull all firefighters out, “due to deteriorating conditions,” Goodwin recalled.
Smith was the last one to exit, they met on the sidewalk and knew the buildings were going to collapse soon, Goodwin said.
