Kittery garage fire destroys cars, snarls shipyard traffic

KITTERY, Maine — Three cars were destroyed in a morning fire at a six-bay garage in the downtown Foreside area, while other vehicles sustained minor damage, according to Fire Chief David O’Brien.

The fire began in a car outside the six-bay garage before spreading to the structure, he said. Kittery fire Capt. Ryan Doucette said the fire was brought under control as firefighters worked in pouring rain and no one was injured. Many residential apartments are located in the area as well.

Traffic was closed coming into town. Gate 1 of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which employs thousands of civilian workers, was temporarily closed, forcing all workers to go to Gate 2 and snarling traffic for much of Friday morning.

The cause of the fire is under review by the Maine fire marshal’s office but did not initially appear to be suspicious, O’Brien said.

Staff from Anneke Jans restaurant, which is located in front of the garage that burned, were prevented from going in the restaurant for a time as the scene was active. Firefighters have since cleared the scene.

“They’re getting ready to open back up again and they’re back in the building now,” O’Brien said of Anneke Jans early Friday afternoon.

The second-alarm fire drew a mutual aid response from neighboring Eliot, York and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, in addition to fire crews from Portsmouth and Greenland across state lines. South Berwick and Newington, New Hampshire firefighters provided station coverage for the Kittery Fire Department during the incident.