ST GEORGE, Maine — Fire officials Thursday urged people to stay out of Port Clyde after flames broke out late Wednesday night.
"More to come on the devastating fire in Port Clyde, but what we need right now is for everyone to STAY OUT OF PORT CLYDE," St. George Fire & Rescue said in a social media post Thursday morning. "This includes Factory Rd- we have trucks relaying water that we need on scene and cannot afford to have personal vehicles in our way."
"We understand folks want to come down to look at the aftermath, but it is still “current math” at the moment," the post continued. "Please give us the space we need to work. Thank you."
St. George Fire Chief Michael Smith told NEWS CENTER Maine nobody was injured as a result of the fire.
The Office of State Fire Marshal was called to the scene at about 1 a.m. to investigate and stayed on scene until Thursday evening, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said in a news release.
"The fire started in the Dip Net restaurant and quickly spread to two other businesses," Moss said. "All three buildings were destroyed. Investigators spent the day investigating the fire, interviewing witnesses and neighbors and reviewing any potential evidence. Given the scope of the fire it could take days to conclude the investigation."
Port Clyde is a village located on the tip of the St. George peninsula. It sits 14 miles away from Route 1 in Thomaston.
Several businesses were caught in the flames, including the Monhegan Boat Line building, Dip Net Restaurant, and Port Clyde General Store.
The Port Clyde General Store building is an iconic image of Port Clyde, featured in countless paintings and photos over the years. It has also been a vital local meeting place and a stop for coffee, sandwiches, groceries, milk, and beer for those living in the village, which is miles away from the next closest store, and has an art gallery on its second floor featuring original Wyeth paintings.
The Port Clyde General Store is owned by Linda Bean, granddaughter of L.L. Bean founder Leon Leonwood Bean. She's a part-time resident and also owns some rental houses in the village.
"The art gallery losses of Wyeth works are high including three original paintings by Jamie Wyeth and one original N.C. Wyeth I acquired recently — the beautiful frontispiece illustration from Thoreau’s book MEN OF CONCORD. All Wyeth books, prints, photographs, original paintings, and memorabilia in the gallery were lost," Linda Bean said in a statement Thursday.
Crews from St. George, Thomaston, South Thomaston, Warren, Cushing, Owls Head, and Rockland responded to the scene, according to the Courier-Gazette.
Fire Chief Smith told NEWS CENTER Maine that as of 4 p.m. Thursday, crews have been awake and on the scene for 20 hours.
The Monhegan Boat Line will continue running on Friday.
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