A small barn burned down in the Christmas Cove area of South Bristol early Saturday, Aug. 1.
No one was inside the barn and there were no injuries, according to South Bristol Fire Chief Mark Carrothers. The barn is at 2367 State Route 129.
Carrothers said the barn was engulfed in flames when he arrived and the fire had started to spread toward a nearby house. He said firefighters were lucky there was no wind. There was no damage to the house.
Carrothers said the cause of the fire is unknown and unlikely to be found.
Four siblings, Pamela Henrikson, Karen Melican, Jonathan Smith, and Nathaniel Smith, own the property. Nathaniel Smith’s daughter was staying in the house. She discovered and reported the fire.
The building was primarily used to store watercraft, including a sailboat and several kayaks, according to Thomas Melican, Karen Melican’s husband. Those boats were destroyed.
In the winter, the barn also stores a dinghy and a skiff, but both were in the water at the time of the fire.
The owners have insurance and plan to rebuild.
Lincoln County Communications dispatched the South Bristol Fire Department at 4:47 a.m. The Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta, and Newcastle departments assisted. Firefighters cleared the scene around 7 a.m.
