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Fast and strategic work by firefighters kept a blaze that had been growing inside a private art gallery from roaring out of control on a Saturday evening, Sept. 19, off Basin Point Road.
After hearing a report of smoke coming from the structure on Middle Bay Lane shortly after 6 p.m., Harpswell Neck Fire Chief David Mercier drove the short distance from his home to take stock of the situation, while trucks from his and other departments converged on the scene.
When he arrived, Mercier saw smoke pouring out of a doorway but no flames breaking through the structure. Instead, he found windows blackened by smoke and hot to the touch — a sure sign, he said, of a fire that had been burning inside long enough to use all the available oxygen.
“When you see that, you know you’ve got a full, hot fire burning inside,” Mercier said.
Knowing that the fire could grow explosively if a door were opened or a window broken to allow fresh oxygen in, Mercier waited a short while until he had a full complement of firefighters, trucks and water to attack the blaze.
Wielding hoses and wearing masks and bottles of compressed air, firefighters entered the walk-out basement where the fire had begun and quickly got it under control. While the basement fire burned a hole in the first floor and caused significant smoke damage, the building remained largely intact and firefighters did their best to salvage the artwork inside.
“It was an all-hands effort and turned out to be a really good stop,” Mercier said.
First responders from Mercier’s department were joined by ones from Orr’s and Bailey islands, Cundy’s Harbor, Brunswick and the town of Harpswell.
“I was fortunate to be on scene as a chaplain bystander witnessing the work of this crew,” Elizabeth Allerton Davis wrote on the Harpswell Neck department’s Facebook page. “It’s nothing short of amazing to see the work of this volunteer crew in action. Harpswell is beyond fortunate to have such dedicated neighbors.”
The property is part of a family compound owned by descendants of the late Lewis Cabot, an avid and influential art collector and chairman of the Maine-based Southworth International Group. One of Lewis Cabot’s sons, Alexander Cabot, was on the property that day and called for help when he saw the smoke.
His brother, James Cabot, said that he, Alexander Cabot, and other family members are grateful for the work done by Mercier and the team of firefighters.
“We were just really appreciative of their quick and decisive action,” he said. “It was a bad situation, but it could have been worse without their bravery and professionalism.”
James Cabot said the property has been in his family since the early 1980s.
“My father loved the town and there was nowhere else on Earth that he preferred to be,” he said. “He loved the nature and the ocean and the islands. Like many other people who are inspired by art, he was inspired by the coast of Maine.”
Many pieces from Lewis Cabot’s collection have been donated or sold since his death seven years ago, James Cabot said. In addition to the remaining artworks, the building also held items of sentimental value, including family photos, portraits of grandparents, and the letters and diaries of the Cabot siblings’ late mother, Susan Knight Cabot.
Most or all of her papers appear to have been destroyed by the fire, which started in the walk-out basement where she had an office, James Cabot said. The family is still taking stock of the damage to the other contents.
“Some of it might be salvageable,” James Cabot said. “Without the actions of the fire department, they would have definitely all been gone.”
He expressed gratitude for neighbors who pitched in to carry items to safety and offer their support. “It’s wonderful to be in a community where people help each other,” he said.
Mercier said the fire apparently began in the building’s electrical system and had grown steadily sometime after the last person was inside eight hours earlier. The structure was so tight that it didn’t allow much air in or the fire to break through the windows and walls.
“The building contained the fire by sheer construction,” he said. “It was airtight.”
Editor’s note: Jeffrey Good is a volunteer emergency medical technician with the Orr’s and Bailey Islands Fire Department. He was not part of the response to the Basin Point fire and none of the information in this story comes from his work for the department. The information in this article comes from interviews and public records.
