PORTLAND — Firefighters Saturday morning were still spraying down the smoldering wreckage of a three-alarm fire that erupted Friday night on Custom House Wharf and left four businesses damaged or destroyed.
Before the blaze was even fully out, wharf co-owner John Jabar said nearby marina owners had stepped up to support the 15 lobstermen who work off the pier. And he’s effusively grateful to the Portland Fire Department crews who spent hours in sub-freezing temperatures soaking the burning buildings as structures collapsed.
“Watching what the fire department did last night was nothing but extraordinary,” Jabar said.
Portland Fire Department crews responded at 5:35 p.m. to flames and heavy smoke spewing from multiple buildings at one end of the pier. The fire was under control by 7:22 p.m. No members of the public were injured, although two firefighters sustained minor injuries.
The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation in collaboration with the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Officials on Saturday determined there is no indication of foul play.
The buildings at 25 and 27 Custom House Wharf, home to a boat repair shop, Nanuq Kayaks, Marine Antiques and the Sea Bags Factory Store, are considered a total loss, according to Jabar. Several boats were also damaged, and one sunk.
Sea Bags CEO Beth Greenlaw said in a statement on Facebook that the wharf location would be closed for the foreseeable future.
Harbor Fish Market, located closer to the shore at 9 Custom House Wharf, was closed Saturday but said in a post on Facebook that the business was not damaged and would likely reopen Sunday.
Linda Bridges runs Marine Antiques, a relatively new store born out of the Maine Marine Salvage shop on Presumpscot Street that closed earlier this year. The business sells a mix of second-hand marine hardware for boaters and more tourist-focused antiques. The roof of the shop collapsed at some point during the fire as thousands of gallons of water poured out of the open storefront onto the wharf.
“There’s a lot of antiques and artwork and stuff that might be damaged,” Bridges said. “But we have a lot of bronze boat parts. Those are probably fine, because bronze doesn’t melt easily.”
A brass binnacle, the standing housing for a ship’s compass worth several thousands dollars, was visible and seemingly intact inside. Fortunately, a 6-foot-long wooden model of a sardine boat had just been sold and shipped to Texas.
Once the all-clear comes from fire investigators, Jabar said the work of rebuilding starts.
“We’re gonna jump right in and start demoing and figure out how we can get some sheltered space for these guys to work out of what they need,” he said.
He and his business partners have already survived severe floods in the winter of 2023-24. They remain dedicated to keeping Portland’s working water front in action.
“We’re not going to do anything but rebuild what was here,” Jabar said.
