Fire rips through historic waterfront of Portland, Maine, sinking a boat and destroying buildings

A three-alarm fire tore through the historic Old Port waterfront in Portland, Maine, on the day after Christmas, damaging buildings and sinking one boat.

Around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, ferry passengers noticed flames on the Custom House Wharf, a pier that extends into the harbor and houses several businesses, according to a fire department news release.

Within minutes, the first emergency crews arrived at the scene, where they encountered “significant smoke and fire” spreading through several commercial buildings. Additional units from nearby towns, as well as a fireboat, quickly joined the response.

“Due to intense fire conditions, challenges with multiple additional exposures, access issues related to being on the wharf, and structural collapse of the building, crews were forced to eventually operate defensively,” officials said.

Photos posted by the Portland Fire Department show buildings ablaze next to tied-up boats and huge plumes of smoke rising above the city’s skyline. And a video posted by Portland Maine Old Port shows water being doused on a raging fire, which cast a red glow over the harbor.

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The fire was deemed under control at about 7:20 p.m., nearly two hours after firefighters rushed to the waterfront.

“Given the age of the structures and obviously, the potential of fire spread down here, everybody did a really great job to work really hard to stop the fire where we did,” Deputy Fire Chief John Hendricks said during a press conference, according to The Bangor Daily News.

A pair of firefighters suffered minor injuries that did not require hospitalization, and no members of the public were injured, officials said. Several boats at the wharf were damaged as a result of the blaze and one vessel sank.

“The public is encouraged to use caution in the area as crews remain on scene attending to hotspots and due to possible icy conditions related to operations,” officials said on Saturday.

It’s not clear what caused the fire, which is currently under investigation by the Maine State Fire Marshall’s Office.

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Multiple businesses that operate near the wharf reacted to the blaze on social media.

“Praying everyone in the Old Port and area is safe right now,” The Thirsty Pig pub wrote in a Facebook post.

The Porthole Restaurant, a seafood spot, said in a post on Saturday that it will remain open “regular hours if you need a familiar place to gather.”

“Our hearts are with everyone impacted by last night’s fire at Custom House Wharf,” the business added. “We’re grateful for the first responders and for the safety of our neighbors.”