An early-morning fire tore through a 17th-century hotel on picturesque Nantucket Island Saturday, but no guests were hurt thanks to a daring rescue by an off-duty fire captain and several civilians.
The Veranda House Hotel, which was built in 1684 and has long been a landmark on the Massachusetts island, was gutted in the fire, which was reported just before 7 a.m. Before the Nantucket Fire Department arrived, the off-duty captain and others rushed into the 18-room boutique hotel and rescued two guests, authorities said.
“The Veranda House team is deeply grateful to the Nantucket Fire Department and first responders for their quick action taken during this incident,” hotel officials said in a statement.
The fire spread to two nearby buildings, and the local fire crews battled the blaze well into the evening. Firefighters remained on the scene until Sunday morning.
Were being told there are two other buildings in addition to the Veranda House that have caught fire.
NFD believes all guests & staff made it out alive.
A neighbor credited a Jamaican woman delivering newspapers for first spotting it, calling it in, alerting hotel #nantucket pic.twitter.com/hY6lGXRZBu
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) July 9, 2022
Two firefighters have been taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion, and a third suffered a back injury, according to NBCNews.
“I would like to further state the heroic efforts of several community members including Patrick Marks, Jim McIntosh and off-duty Captain Nathan Barber (and I am sure I may be missing names) [who] saved lives on Saturday,” Nantucket Fire Chief Stephen Murphy said in a press release on Sunday. “They all entered into life threatening conditions in order to warn, rescue and remove people within the building. Their bravery will not go unnoticed.”
There was no official cost estimate for the damage, though all of the buildings involved were described as “total losses” by officials. The loss of the Veranda House Hotel may be a significant blow to Nantucket Island, as the hotel has played host to several prominent guests such as Fred Rogers from “”Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” according to reporting from the Boston Globe.
