Just after 9 a.m. EST on the morning of Tuesday, 5 November, the 55-foot steel boat Resolve caught fire at Vessel Services at the Fish Pier in Portland, Maine.
The Portland and South Portland fire departments responded quickly to the 9:30 a.m. EST call and had the fire under control within half an hour.
The boat, originally from Houma, Louisiana, was undergoing some welding and deck work as part of a conversion to the scallop fishery for local fisherman Mike Stinchfield, according to a representative at Vessel Services, who noted that the crew there was about two months into the conversion work before the fire.
Two people were reported to have been onboard at the time. One was treated for smoke inhalation, but no major injuries were reported.
The boat was towed up the Fore River to Portland Yacht Services around 10:45 a.m. EST, and the Portland Fire Department was working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to remove water from the boat and prevent contamination in the harbor.
Maine Representative Chellie Pingree’s office overlooks the pier, and her staff grabbed shots and tweeted about the incident from their headquarters at the Marine Trade Center.
The Maine scallop fishery opens in December.
Photo courtesy of Maine Representative Chellie Pingree
