PARIS — Interim Town Manager Michael Madden told selectmen Monday night that Tideview Group of Kennebunk will handle the investigation of Deputy fire Chief Willie Buffington, who accidentally burned down his vacant house last month.

Madden and fire Chief Brad Frost met with representatives from the group around 4 p.m. Monday before the selectmen meeting.

“The bigger challenge this time — primarily I am used to getting them for the Police Department — we had to find people experienced with fire and fire law and get it out of this county,” Madden said before the meeting. He said he tried to reach out to Kennebec County, which was too busy to conduct another investigation.

“(Tideview Group) specializes in these types of things assisting smaller towns with anywhere from selection processes to internal affairs investigation,” Madden said.

Madden said he suspects the investigation will take a few weeks, but didn’t have a firm date when the results will be in.

On May 11, Buffington obtained a permit to burn down a demolished barn on his property at 363 High St. The barn rubble was about 10 feet from the vacant house, which caught fire and was gutted. Crews from Norway Fire Department helped those from Paris knock down the fire.

For permitted burns, Maine law requires a 50-foot buffer between the fire and any structure.

Buffington, who has more than 50 years of service with the department and was honored during the recent Memorial Day festivities, was placed on administrative leave May 19.

The Oxford County District Attorney’s office launched an investigation last month to see if any laws were violated. A woman answering the phone at the DA’s office said Monday that the case in under review and she was not sure when the findings would be released.

Buffington’s administrative leave will remain in effect until both investigations are complete, Frost previously said.

An excavator leveled the gutted house, which Buffington said he had planned to knock down anyway. Emergency communications were temporarily knocked out in Bethel, Newry and Bryant Pond as a result of the fire.

Whether the town or Buffington will foot the $1,300 in wages and equipment as a result of the blaze will be answered pending the outcome of the investigations, Frost previously said.

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