Six alarms, 100 firefighters, 36 apparatus: How the Mattapoisett Boatyard fire was fought

Frank Mulligan, Standard-Times
·4 min read
3

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Boatyard fire that destroyed buildings, cars, and boats on its lot Friday was most likely caused by the ignition of gasoline vapors during the replacement of a boat’s gas tank, according to Mattapoisett Fire Chief Andrew Murray and state Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey.

“Our hearts go out to the worker who was badly injured during last week’s fire and the family business that’s been a part of our community for 60 years,” said Murray in a press release. “On behalf of the town of Mattapoisett, I also want to recognize the efforts of our firefighters and our brother and sister firefighters and chiefs from across the region who rushed in to help. They defied the danger of a massive, wind-driven fire to prevent it from spreading further into the community and putting more people at risk.”

The origin and cause of the fire were jointly investigated by the Mattapoisett Fire Department, Mattapoisett Police Department, and the state Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office. That investigation determined that the fire began inside a building at the 32 Ned’s Point Road location of the boatyard, where a worker had been replacing a boat’s gas tank.

No fire hydrants: How Westport and Freetown deal with fires in remote areas

According to the release, "Investigators believe that a spark ignited gasoline vapors during this process, causing an explosion and fire that seriously injured the worker, an adult man. The fire was fed by winds of up to 25 miles per hour coming in off the water and spread to nearby buildings, vehicles, and boats. In addition to the worker who was injured, three firefighters suffered injuries related to smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion. All four were transported from the scene for medical care; the worker remains hospitalized and is expected to survive, and the firefighters have been released."

'Duel with the Dragon': New Bedford man recounts Vietnam battle experience in new book

“We’re extremely fortunate that Friday’s fire didn’t cause more injuries or worse,” said Ostroskey. “Nearly 900 fires have started with gasoline in Massachusetts over the past 10 years, causing nine deaths and almost $20 million in damages. Many of us use gasoline in our daily lives, but we can’t lose sight of the fire and explosion hazard associated with it. Gasoline vapors can travel a great distance to an ignition point, especially indoors.”

The investigation determined that the fire began inside a building at the 32 Ned’s Point Road location of the boatyard, where a worker had been replacing a boat’s gas tank.
The investigation determined that the fire began inside a building at the 32 Ned’s Point Road location of the boatyard, where a worker had been replacing a boat’s gas tank.

After receiving multiple 911 calls reporting explosions at about 1:20 p.m., the Mattapoisett Fire Department responded to the scene to find heavy fire that spread to six buildings, 47 vehicles and 14 boats, according to the release.

The fire reached six alarms, drawing mutual aid from across southeastern Massachusetts and additional task forces through the Statewide Fire Mobilization Plan. In total, more than 100 firefighters battled the fire with 19 engines, 12 tankers, three fireboats, and two ladder trucks before it was knocked down around 6 p.m.

“This highly coordinated and collaborative effort allowed us to contain the fire to the boatyard property and save all of the surrounding homes and structures,” said Murray.

Property Transfers: Sunsets and bay views as Fairhaven beach house sells for $1.4 million

According to the release, the Department of Fire Services deployed an Incident Support Unit to assist incident commanders, a Rehab Unit to support firefighters at the scene, a Drone Unit to gather aerial imagery, a Hazmat team to monitor air quality at the fire ground, and State Police fire investigators to work with local officials.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Department of Environmental Protection, several area harbormasters, and the Coast Guard also responded to the scene.

A GoFundMe page has been put in place for Boatyard employee Phil Macomber, who was badly injured as a result of the fire.  According to the page, Phil has been part of the MBY family for nearly 20 years.

"He is currently hospitalized for burns and a shattered femur and has a long road to recovery. Please consider donating to Phil’s recovery as there are sure to be many unknown expenses over the next six months to a year that would not be covered by insurance. We thank you all in advance and our hearts are with Phil’s family at this time."

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Mattapoisett Boatyard fire started by gas tank spark, worker injured