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Investigators seek cause of blaze that destroyed Boothbay Harbor inn

The inn was destroyed by a massive fire on Monday night, a raging inferno that left the two-story, 39-room lodging place just a pile of rubble.

BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine — Until Monday night, the Beach Cove Waterfront Inn was one of many familiar, longtime hotels in Boothbay Harbor. 

It sat on a hill, away from the harbor and the summer crowds that fill the waterfront, a quieter spot overlooking West Harbor Pond.

By Tuesday evening, it had become a magnet for residents, driving slowly past to see where the inn used to be.

The inn was destroyed by a massive fire on Monday night, a raging inferno that left the two-story, 39-room lodging place just a pile of rubble.

It was a fire that demanded everything area firefighters had to give to prevent it from spreading to the rest of the residential neighborhood.

"It was horrible," Boothbay Harbor Fire Chief Nick Upham said Tuesday, standing next to the remains of the building.

He added, "As soon as I arrived on scene, the second floor, all the way across, was on fire. [Fire] coming out windows and doors and rolling up into the roofline."

Upham said he knew right away the inn could not be saved. His attention focused on the neighborhood on three sides of the burning building, which he said was at serious risk.

"There was a house right there starting to go," the chief said, pointing to his right. "That one going, building down there going. [We] had houses up here [where] siding was melting, as well as buildings farther down the road starting to light up from embers."

Upham added eight area towns combined to fight the flames, and he dispatched different crews to nearby streets as flying embers caught trees and bushes on fire and threatened more homes.

One of those houses is home to Heather Reynolds and her family. Reynolds said they saw the fire and decided to get out.

"All the smoke was coming across and all the embers up into the sky. And it [gets] up there, and I first saw it falling into that building, and the cops running up the street telling everyone to get out," Reynolds said. 

Cars could not get out, so Reynolds said she and her family grabbed their animals and a few belongings and headed down a path toward the harbor and away from the burning hotel.

"We waited all night to figure out if our house caught on fire," she said. 

It did not, and neither did the others. There was some damage in places, but the neighborhood was saved.

On Tuesday morning, a small army of CMP line workers had taken over Lakeview Road and was rebuilding the power pines destroyed by fire. 

Three poles were burned. Transformers had crashed to the ground, and lines were strewn across the road. That neighborhood had been without power all night and part of the day, but it was restored by evening.

Maine fire marshals spent the day digging through the blackened debris and interviewing the owner and others who might have a clue where and how the fire might have started. By the end of the day, there were no conclusions available.

No one was injured in the massive fire. The hotel was empty due to open for the season this weekend, according to the fire chief.   

The Boothbay Harbor Chamber of Commerce said the loss of the Inn leaves a hole in the tourist town because it was a moderately-priced hotel and popular with visitors.

By Tuesday evening, all that remained of the inn was the outdoor swimming pool and slide overlooking the pond.  

Insurance adjustors visited the site earlier in the day, but there is no word yet if the owner will rebuild.

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