A huge fire erupted in the U.S. Coast Guard boathouse in Menemsha yesterday afternoon, completely destroying the 68-year-old building along with an extended wooden pier that leads to the west dock on the Menemsha harbor. Also destroyed in the blaze were at least one truck and an unknown number of small boats nearby. Miraculously there were no injuries save one minor injury to a volunteer fireman, a Coast Guard public affairs spokesman confirmed last night.
Tisbury firefighters quickly extinguished a fire outside 54 Main street on Sunday evening that started in a trash can behind the building. Owned by Larry Levine, the building houses the Peter Simon and Louisa Gould galleries.
The fire was first reported by Ms. Gould, who was in her gallery and smelled smoke just after 8 p.m. and called 911.
Island writers are expressing sympathy and sadness for the loss, they hope only temporarily, of the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore in Vineyard Haven that was devastated by fire on July 4.
The face of Main street in Vineyard Haven has changed more by the act of fire than any street in any other Island town.
Bookstore owner Jon C. Nelson Jr. said he will rebuild.
Café Moxie was, ironically, in the first building to be rebuilt after the devastating Vineyard Haven fire of 1883.