Multiple buildings, boats destroyed after giant fire at Mystic marina
An expansive fire broke out along the Mystic River on Sunday night, burning several buildings and boats at a marina in Mystic, according to local fire officials.
The Mystic Fire Department was called to the Seaport Marine with initial reports of heavy smoke and heavy flames in the area. Fire officials got some hand water lines on the fire and triggered four alarms for mutual aid, Mystic Fire Chief Anthony Manfredi Jr. said at a press conference Monday.
He said there was heavy fire coming out of the front of the structure. The fire was wind-driven, so it was spreading rapidly, he said.
The fire was at a multi-use, connected two-building property. One of the buildings was a residential home occupied by a man and a pet; both were able to get out of the building unharmed. The other was a commercial building housing a yacht dealer and another business. There were at least three boats inside the commercial building at the time of the fire, Manfredi said.
There were some homes in danger of being exposed to the flames on Willow Street and the end of Cottrell Street, so officials protected those homes and evacuated the entire block. Residents were allowed back in Monday, Manfredi said.
There were some propane tanks inside the building, which caused some explosions during the fire, Manfredi said.
Some power lines were also downed in the area and power in the entire grid area up to Broadway Ave. was shut down for some time. A portion of the grid was turned back on, but the area close to the fire was set to stay off all day Monday, Manfredi said.
Mystic relies heavily on mutual aid, Manfredi said. Fire personnel from the Old Mystic Fire Department and Norwich Fire Department responded to the blaze. Old Mystic provided two engines and an elevated water stream and Norwich had ladder pipes, deck guns, hand lines and a fireboat working on the fire.
The department also had some tankers brought in to make sure it had enough water supply to attack the blaze.
The fire was placed under control around 1:30 a.m., Manfredi said. Old Mystic said its personnel and equipment were released from the area around 2 a.m.
“We rely heavily on our mutual aid partners and we had a lot of apparatus here and everybody did a great job,” Manfredi said. “It was a very dangerous situation.”
There were no injuries in the fire and it did not spread further, according to a Facebook post from the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce. One firefighter was treated on the scene for smoke inhalation but was not transported to the hospital, Manfredi said.
“We are working to have the site cleared of debris as soon as possible. We are thankful for all the first responders for their efforts in containing the blaze and protecting adjacent property,” management at the Seaport Marine said in a Facebook post.
Manfredi said the department plans to begin cleanup Monday.
“The wind was fierce and our firefighters and out-of-town responders worked tirelessly to keep Mystic intact,” the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce said in its Facebook post. “Please keep Seaport Marine in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate through this major loss.”
A shelter was opened by Bank and Bridge, a local brewery, for anyone affected by the fire, according to the brewery.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Mystic Fire Marshal’s Office.
