Nobody Hurt but Major Damage after Portsmouth Fire

PORTSMOUTH, RI—The fire Wednesday night at Maritime Solutions on East Main Road caused major damage and is under investigation, said Portsmouth Fire Dep. Chief Michael P. O’Brien.

Firefighters were dispatched at 9:05 p.m. after the department received multiple 911 calls reporting a fire at the 1250 East Main Road business.

Crews arrived to find a heavily involved structure fire and within minutes, a second alarm was called. Engines from the Bristol, Middletown and Tiverton Fire Departments responded to assist and Naval Station Newport covered Portsmouth’s station during the blaze.

Firefighters had the fire under control at around 10:20 p.m., O’Brien said, and thankfully, nobody was hurt.

The fire is being investigated by the Portsmouth Police Department, the town fire marshal and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Due to the cold weather, the Department of Public Works also responded to the scene to address icing conditions, applying a layer of sand to the road. It turns out that a fire hydrant directly in front of the building wasn’t working, which delayed water supply for firefighters.

The fire broke out just about 30 minutes after Portsmouth firefighters came back from assisting Middletown with a fire in their town.

The last crew to leave the scene left at 1:04 a.m., O’Brien said.

Photos courtesy: Portsmouth Fire Department