A fire that could be seen from the mainland destroyed a maintenance barn on Squirrel Island in the Lincoln County town of Southport on Sunday afternoon.
Black smoke from the fire could be seen from nearby Boothbay Harbor.
Southport fire Chief Gerry Gamage told News Center Maine that the maintenance barn is where equipment for the Squirrel Island Village Corporation is stored.
Firefighting crews from Southport, Boothbay Harbor and Boothbay responded to the fire, which was reported around 3:30 p.m. No injuries were reported, and the fire did not spread to other buildings. Local lobstermen and the U.S. Coast Guard transported firefighters to the island.
Squirrel Island is a 130-acre island about a mile south of Boothbay Harbor. It is only accessible by boat or ferry, and is one of the oldest island communities in Maine.
The Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce says Squirrel Island Village has a seasonal community of up to 500 people a day, who live in 106 privately owned seasonal cottages. The island features scenic views, two beaches and 5 miles of pathways.
Squirrel Island began as a summer colony in the 1870s, according to the Maine Memory Network, a website developed and managed by the Maine Historical Society.
Sunday’s fire on Squirrel Island is the second fire to occur on a Maine island community in less than a week.
A house fire on Long Island in Casco Bay that broke out Nov. 13 resulted in the death of 69-year-old Thomas Johnson, a retired lobsterman. Smoke from that fire could also be seen from the mainland.
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