VINALHAVEN – Vinalhaven firefighters called to 26 East Boston Rd arrived to find heavy fire visible from the front of the 1.5 story residential structure on a day when ten of Vinalhaven’s firefighters happened to be off of the island.

Yet, the island, distant in terms of miles, yet successfully self-sufficient, found solutions within and beyond the community.

Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, eight crew members responded to the initial 1:37 p.m., Knox County Communications, call, arriving on scene five minutes later, at 1:42 p.m. The structure was built around 1900, according to Fire Chief Marc Candage. One of the owners was home at the time and suffered minor burns while escaping.

Eventually, three more crew members arrived, but still, after about an hour, Candage made the decision to call upon North Haven FD for additional manpower. That dispatch to NHFD transmitted at 2:46 p.m. with arrangements in process to provide transportation from the harbor. Ultimately, that transport came from volunteers who were bystanders at the scene as well as Town Office personnel.

By 3:22 p.m., when the seven fresh North Haven firefighters arrived with their SCBA equipment and connecting oxygen tanks, the scene now boasted 17 total personnel. Yet hours of work remained. As last on scene again, VFD didn’t leave until 7:50 p.m. The next morning, after the first ferry arrived from the mainland, the Chief returned to East Boston Road to show and explain to the Fire Marshal’s Office investigator the various components of the seven-hour scene.

The structure still stands, according to Candage, but it’s basically a loss.

After review of the scene, along with interviews, the FMO and Vinalhaven Fire Dept. suspect that the cause of the fire came from ashes from a woodstove that were left on the porch.

No firefighters were injured during this incident.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com