South Bristol firefighters, responding to a report of a skiff aflame in the harbor, borrowed another skiff, corralled the burning boat and extinguished the blaze.
Lincoln County Communications paged the South Bristol Fire Department at 1:14 a.m. Dec. 7 for a report of a skiff on fire at Eugley’s Wharf, said South Bristol Fire Chief Mark Carrothers.
The boat, which belongs to Wayne Eugley, had been tied to a float, but broke free and was floating around the harbor when firefighters arrived.
Carrothers and Assistant Fire Chief John Seiders borrowed a skiff from a member of the nearby South Bristol Fisherman’s Co-op, put the fire out and towed the burned boat to Bittersweet Landing.
Carrothers said the fire destroyed the skiff’s motor and burned the boat to the waterline.
The skiff, while it was still burning and floating around the harbor, came close to a couple of lobster boats, but floated away again. “We got lucky there,” Carrothers said.
As of 10 a.m., Carrothers was waiting to meet with someone from the Fire Marshal’s Office in hopes of determining the cause of the blaze. He does not suspect foul play.
Carrothers said seven firefighters responded to the scene with three fire trucks. They cleared the scene at 3:45 a.m.
“The fire department did a good job,” he said. “We got the situation under control quickly.”