Fire damaged an apartment over The School House 1913 on Tuesday, Nov. 28, but a swift response prevented the fire from spreading to the restaurant.
There were no injuries, according to David Mercier, fire chief for Harpswell Neck Fire and Rescue. The apartment has “extensive” damage, he said, while the only damage to the restaurant was some water leaking through the floor, which was promptly cleaned up.
“The response and the effort by the municipal firefighters in combination with the volunteers was instrumental in getting the fire early and preventing it from spreading to the rest of the building,” Mercier said. “It was a really good effort by everybody. It was a really good stop.”
In an email, a representative of the restaurant said, “The building is closed until further notice.” They declined additional comment.
No one was home when the fire started, according to Mercier. A male resident returned around 8:30 a.m. and saw smoke. He got his dog out of the apartment and reported the fire.
When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from an open window and vents on the second floor, according to Mercier. The firefighters who entered the building met with “near-zero visibility,” but located the fire and “very quickly” put it out, he said.
The fire appears to have started at the kitchen stove, according to Mercier, although he was not certain of the cause.
Harpswell Neck Fire and Rescue had assistance from the Cundy’s Harbor Volunteer Fire Department and the Orr’s and Bailey Islands Fire Department, as well as Harpswell’s municipal firefighters and the Brunswick Fire Department. The Topsham Fire Department provided backup for the remainder of Harpswell. Mercier estimated that at least 25 firefighters were on hand.
The building was a schoolhouse from 1913 through the 1950s, according to its website. The School House 1913 opened in 2019, serving “creatively designed dishes crafted with a global perspective and a heavy emphasis on vegetables.”
The restaurant is at 506 Harpswell Neck Road, at the intersection of Route 123 and Mountain Road.
