Mattapoisett fire investigation continues
Investigators continued their probe Saturday into a six-alarm fire that tore through the Mattapoisett Boatyard Friday afternoon, leaving a man hospitalized with serious injuries.
On Friday afternoon, thick, black columns of smoke towered over the heads of more than 100 firefighters from area communities as they battled the flames for five hours. Smoke from the wind-whipped blaze was so thick, meteorologists reported that it could be detected on weather radar.
The man remained hospitalized Saturday while three firefighters were recovering from heat and exertion, according to Jake Wark, a spokesman for the state Department of Fire Services. Investigators, including State Police assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office, have not yet determined the cause but do not believe it is suspicious.
The boatyard, in a statement posted to Facebook Saturday morning, asked people to donate to a fund-raiser for a man injured in the fire, which it identified as Phil Macomber.
“Words cannot begin to describe the devastation we are dealing with right now after this tragic event,” the boatyard’s statement said Saturday. “Phil has been a part of our boatyard family for just about 20 years, and is in need of any help he can get.”
Macomber was hospitalized for burns and a shattered femur, according to a GoFundMe page linked to the post, which said he has a long road to recovery.
Ned Kaiser, the boatyard’s manager, declined comment to the Globe Saturday.
On Friday, Mattapoisett’s Fire Department began receiving 911 calls reporting an explosion in the area of the boatyard at 32 Ned’s Point Road around 1:20 p.m., according to Wark. Firefighters responded to find heavy flames in the rear of a building, which had spread to several other structures, plus boats and cars in the area, Wark said.
“Wind coming in off the water at about 25 [miles per hour] fed the fire, which consumed five buildings and about a dozen cars and boats,” Wark said Friday.
A state hazmat team was sent to monitor air quality, Wark said. Dozens of emergency vehicles, including fire engines, ambulances, tankers, two-ladder trucks, and a pair of fire boats, were sent to the scene, according to Wark. The Salvation Army of Massachusetts said it was there to provide water and food to first responders. Mattapoisett’s Fire Department, in a statement on Facebook Saturday, said fire crews and equipment came in from Plymouth and Bristol counties, as well as the state.
“This is one of, if not the, largest fire that our community has ever seen,” the fire department’s statement said.
The town posted a brief advisory on its website Saturday afternoon notifying residents that water could be discolored because of the fire.
“The Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Dept. informs residents that due to the water that was pumped to the Ned’s Point Rd. area at the Mattapoisett Boat Yard that there is a good chance of discolored water showing up in water lines at homes through the weekend in Mattapoisett,” the message said.
The 2.2-acre boatyard property was assessed for more than $3.4 million, according to Mattapoisett assessors.
The boatyard has been operated by the same family since 1962, when Art McLean established the current business, according to a 2012 profile published in the Sippican Week newspaper. McLean grew up in Walpole but spent summers in Mattapoisett. He told the paper he began working at the boatyard at age 15 in the mid-1950s, when it was owned by two brothers, John and Carlton Burr.
“This is the only place I’ve ever worked in my life,” McLean told the newspaper.
McLean received nautical education at a local yacht club and was known for his work ethic. He performed much of the work himself, including boat repairs and maintenance, according to the profile. The business focused on wooden boat maintenance, but McLean expanded it to include boat sales and boat construction, he told the paper. McLean handed over day-to-day responsibilities for running the boatyard to his son-in-law David Kaiser in 2012, the paper reported. McLean said he had no regrets about building his own business in the marine industry.
“If I had to live my life over again, I wouldn’t do anything different,” McLean said. “I’ve loved every minute of it.”