SCARBOROUGH — At least half a million dollars worth of arcade games and new restaurant equipment was lost in a fire at a Scarborough campground Tuesday, but firefighters helped avert a larger disaster for the popular vacation destination.
Tom Bayley, one of the owners of Bayley’s Camping Resort in Pine Point in Scarborough, thanked firefighters for containing the flames and saving a large tent-style amphitheater that stands only a few feet from a corner of the building that burned.
Next to the stage tent is a complex of swimming pools, a bathroom and several customer travel campers, all of which were saved from damage. Had the bathrooms or pool complex been affected, Bayley would have been looking at a longer, more costly reconstruction that would have hurt this season’s business, he said.
About 500 people are expected to attend a concert at the amphitheater Saturday, Bayley said, and despite the damaged restaurant, the show will still go on.
Sgt. Ken Grimes with the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office secures the area before starting an investigation into Tuesday’s fire at Bayley’s campground in Scarborough. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer
“The fire department saved us,” Bayley said. “We can deal with this.”
Bayley said the fire department doused the tent and other structures with a fire-retardant foam. Now, he will be looking for a temporary solution to feed campground guests and sell drinks.
The 60-seat Seaside Square Cafe at the campground also housed an arcade, he said. The restaurant’s kitchen and interior also had new furnishings and appliances. Almost all of it is now destroyed.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office, which investigated the fire in cooperation with local fire officials, said a cause could not be determined because of the extent of the damage, although investigators said the fire likely started in the center of the building near refrigeration compressors. The one-story roof of the wood-frame building had almost completely collapsed inward.
Scarborough Fire Chief Michael Thurlow said departments from at least nine surrounding towns sent about 50 firefighters to the scene or helped cover Scarborough’s stations while hours were spent fighting the fire.
Because there were no fire hydrants inside the campground property, crews stretched nearly a mile of hose to access three hydrants located on adjacent public roads, Thurlow said.
No one was hurt, and the fire crews left the scene about midnight.
“They were long (firehose) lays,” Thurlow said. “It made for a long night.”
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