MYSTIC, Conn. — Mystic officials are investigating after a massive fire burned one of the Seaport Marine buildings to the ground Sunday night.
The fire happened around 9 p.m. near Washington and Cottrell streets, just south of the Main Street drawbridge.
Mystic residents said their small town is known for fires that have devastated parts of their community, and now they’re adding another one to that list.
Adam Fritzsche lives no more than 50 yards from what’s left of Seaport Marine.
“We heard a lot of clapping, almost like gun sounds, we knew it wasn’t gun sounds but it was a lot of popping. “We stepped outside, it was smoky and nobody was there yet, it was a big fire, very scary and very chaotic,” Fritzsche said.
He said it was horrifying to look out at the flames that were at one point blowing in the direction of his home. He said this massive fire felt too familiar.
“Our own house burned down in 2010, I have a little experience with this,” Fritzsche said. “It brings back memories, but I had never been that close to something that large, it was enormous, it was scary and very loud.”
He wasn’t the only one having deja vu. Other neighbors said Mystic is no stranger to pieces of the town going up in flames. Lifelong residents like Bob Nelson said this is at least the fourth time in the past 50 years this has happened.
“That used to be the old movie theater down on the corner, but it burned down in 1960, then on Main Street, there was another major fire in 1980, it took down most of the block, you have old wooden buildings here so it’s a big concern,” Nelson said.
Mystic Fire Chief Anthony Manfredi Jr. said they have a plan when these historic fires come across their call system.
“We have had a lot of major fires in Mystic,” Manfredi said. It’s unfortunate and we rely heavily on our mutual aid partners to assist.”
Those who live in the area say they’re just happy the flames didn’t spread even further, making yet another Mystic fire even worse.
“It was shocking and scary,” Nelson said. “It’s so close to the downtown and there is a history of fires in this town, so we are hoping it wouldn’t get down that way.”
Both the Connecticut State Fire Marshal and the Mystic Fire Marshal are investigating. They say they won’t stop until they find out what caused the fire.
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