Photos by Tori Rasche
YORK HARBOR - Less than one year after a blaze ripped through a portion of the Stage Neck Inn, the landmark hotel has sustained an estimated $400,000 in damage after a blaze on Jan. 17.
The York Fire Department responded to the multiple-alarm fire that Thursday evening and, according to Chief Chris Balentine, the incident remains under investigation by his department and the Maine State Fire Marshal, with further details not expected for days to come.
The fire began at approximately 7:45 p.m., and the first responders to the scene found heavy fire conditions on the left side of the complex, which originated outside the building, Balentine explained in his incident report.
"The fire quickly extended into the building in an area used as function rooms," he said.
Balentine sounded three alarms, and in addition to the York Fire Department, the Portsmouth, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, York Beach, Kittery, Ogunquit, Eliot and South Berwick fire departments responded to the scene with approximately 60 firefighters helping to bring the fire under control.
Balentine said the fire caused extensive damage to the function room area of the inn complex as well as a section of the attic. He noted that equipment in the area of the fire's origin is electrical and liquid petroleum gas-related.
"Through the aggressive efforts of the fire personnel, the remainder of the building was saved," he said.
The inn, Balentine noted, had been extensively renovated after a fire last February damaged a center section of the building.
That incident, he said, "involved an arcing/shorted electrical feed to an exhaust fan. Damage in this fire was localized in a utility chase."
Substantial renovations - including electrical, fire systems, painting and other upgrades - had been completed in the months that followed, Balentine said.
The Jan. 17 blaze affected a different portion of the building, Balentine said, and the service areas, kitchen, dining and guest rooms were not damaged by the fire.
Mark and Dana Foster, owners of the Stage Neck Inn, remained on scene to clean up and assess damages well into the day on Friday, Jan. 18, along with many of their employees. The inn was due to reopen after its annual winter shutdown when the blaze occurred.
"It is expected that the Stage Neck Inn will be closed for several months to complete repairs following Thursday night's fire," Balentine confirmed.
The York Police Department also assisted with the investigation and traffic control during the fire and York Ambulance Association personnel were standing by to provide emergency medical services. Balentine noted there were no injuries.
See the Feb. 8 edition of The York Independent for more information.
