By Dominik Lobkowicz
Updated Dec. 31 at 2:00 p.m.
The roof of this garage caved in as firefighters worked to put out the blaze, according to Bremen Assistant Fire Chief Bruce Poland. (D. Lobkowicz photo)
The owner of a garage and three antique automobiles that burned in Bremen Dec. 30 said the fire was started accidentally as he worked on one of the cars.
Six local fire departments responded to the fire at Bremen Boat Storage & Repair on Turner Road after being paged out shortly before 2 p.m.
Bremen Assistant Fire Chief Bruce Poland, who lives close by on McCurdy Road, said by the time he arrived shortly after the page, the barn was already fully engulfed.
“All we could do was protect this structure right here,” Poland said, indicating a large workshop only about 25 feet away from the smoldering garage. “So, that’s what we did when we got here.”
The building had a metal roof, and the heat from the fire inside had nowhere to go, Poland said. “It exploded out all four sides,” he said.
Departments from Bremen, Waldoboro, Damariscotta, Nobleboro, Bristol, and Newcastle assisted, Poland said. Tankers shuttled water to portable tanks at two locations near the fire and firefighters worked from both sides of the building.
“I lost my Porsche, I lost my Fiat 124 Spider, and I lost my Volvo diesel,” said Roger Williams, who owns the garage with his wife, Jacqueline.
Williams said he was welding the unibody of the Porsche when it caught fire, despite having wet rags everywhere to keep the area cool.
Having thought it through as the firefighters were working, Williams said, with visible frustration, “I think the gas line goes through the body, and I think the gas line is plastic.”
Roger Williams uses his tractor to help put out the fire that consumed three of his antique automobiles Dec. 30. (D. Lobkowicz photo)
After the vehicle caught fire, he tried to tow it out of the garage to prevent it from spreading, but the wheels on the Porsche were turned sideways and his attempts were unsuccessful.
All three cars and the building were a total loss, according to Poland. Firefighters were still on the scene by the time the Williams’ insurance agent arrived.
“The year ended with a bang, an unfortunate bang,” Jacqueline Williams said.
