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Fire Chief To Probe Whether Hand Gesture In Photo Was Racist

A Maine fire chief says he'll be investigating the intent behind a hand gesture associated with white power that a firefighter appeared to make in a recent photo. 

The official Waterville Fire Department department photo featuring the entire crew was uploaded to the department's Facebook page Tuesday. The Bangor Daily News reached out to the department about the gesture made by one firefighter which the Anti-Defamation League said has been appropriated as a signal for white supremacy. The department has since removed the photo. Fire Chief Shawn Esler called the possibility of a department firefighter using a racist symbol "completely unacceptable."