Provincetown fire cleanup begins; electrical cause likely
May 28, 2017 at 12:57 PM
PROVINCETOWN, Mass. – Fire crews were continuing to monitor the scene of a massive fire today that consumed the Red Shack restaurant and damaged several other nearby properties Saturday night.
Provincetown Fire Chief Michael Trovato said the fire is under investigation by Massachusetts Office of the State Fire Marshal but appears to have been electrical in nature and that it started in the 315 Commercial St. building’s attic.
Fire crews were giving the building another soaking with water this morning but were in the process of leaving the scene at around noon. The fire damaged nearby businesses, including the Surf Club and Tatiana’s; the Coffee Pot was suffered water damage and was hoping to reopen soon, Trovato said.
The Lily Pond gift shop was open, but the apartments upstairs were without electricity earlier today.
The fire was reported at 6 p.m. Saturday on the roof of the Lopes Square restaurant, part of a series of restaurants clustered at the entrance to MacMillan Pier. The heavy, black smoke from the three-alarm blaze was visible from for miles while the fire was being fought and brought fire departments from across the Cape to assist; at one point, a Mashpee ambulance was in the East Harwich fire station while the Harwich Fire Department was assisting in Provincetown, according to a post on the Harwich Fire Department’s Facebook page.
A representative of the American Red Cross of Massachusetts happened to be on scene and sent pictures and reports through the agency’s Twitter account. There were no injuries, according to the Red Cross