On Sunday, a major wind-driven fire destroyed two buildings at Seaport Marine in Mystic, Connecticut. According to a report from The Day, firefighters battled the flames through the evening hours before getting it under control.
Reported at 8:56 p.m., Mystic Fire Chief Anthony Manfredi Jr. called in help from surrounding departments to help fight the fire, which was close to residential homes. The fire consumed a large storage shed and office building as explosions and the scope of the fire forced nearby residents to evacuate their homes. Video footage from the Norwich Firefighters Local 892 showed a fireball.
Around 12:30 a.m. the fire was under control, though it was not fully extinguished. No one was injured, although a firefighter was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
The marina on the Mystic River boasts 122 boat slips and the popular Red 36 restaurant, which was not damaged in the fire. Boat owner Marianne Jasmine watched the fire from Mystic River Park with other onlookers, but they were forced to leave when hot embers began to hit them.
The fire is the largest Mystic has seen since March 2000, when a building with eight businesses inside burned down near the bridge.
Seaport Marine is owned by the Holstein family, which recently sold its other marina, the 155-slip Noank Shipyard, to Epum Holdings.
In 2019, the Holsteins proposed a major redevelopment of the 11-acre Seaport Marine property that included 120 more slips, a 45-room hotel, a marine services building, a second restaurant, a public park and walkway and housing, but withdrew the plan in the face of heavy opposition.
The state’s fire marshal will be investigating the cause of the fire.
