Major Fire At Maine Boatyard

A BOOTHBAY, MAINE, BOATYARD WAS CRIPPLED BY a major fire Friday. The Washburn & Doughty Associates firm builds tugboats, fishing boats, barges and ferries up to 200 ft. long and employees 100 people in four large buildings.

Boothbay Register

Around 9:30 am fire broke out in a 50,000 sq. ft. building that was housing two tugboats under construction. The fire spread rapidly and about a half-hour later there were several explosions inside the fire building. All of the employees escaped safely and it is believed that all of them are accounted for.

Boothbay Register

Besides losing the main boat assembly building, the fire consumed the offices and some storage buildings. A nearly-completed tug docked outside the building was saved and will probably be able to be finished on schedule.

Photo by Dee Dow

The $30 million fire comes just days before the company was to begin a $5 million expansion program. The state governor has promised full assistance from the state in getting the business back into operation. Boat building is a major economic block in Maine.

Investigators have pinpointed the origin of the fire to an area near one of the tugs under construction, but have not yet determined the cause.

The Bangor News has the latest STORY.

NECN has filed this video report:

Photo by Jim Stormont