Fire Destroys Building At Plimoth Plantation
PLYMOUTH (CBS) - Plimoth Plantation will remain open for business after a fire destroyed one of its buildings on Saturday morning.
Officials there say a chimney fire broke out at the Cooke House in the English village section of the plantation and quickly spread across the thatched roof.
"One of the staff persons here started a fire in the fire place. The fire in that fireplace spread into the chimney and spread onto the roof of the house," Plimoth Plantation spokesperson Rob Kluin told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Doug Cope.
Despite windy conditions, Plymouth firefighters were able to contain the fire to that building.
Firefighters were able to put out the flames in less than a half an hour, but the fire did cause significant damage to the hut.
"I saw a lot of smoke, saw some flames coming out of the back of the house. By the time I got here to the field the whole top roof structure was on fire," said Dave Tanner, the assistant director of facilities.
WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez reports
Only a handful of visitors were in the area at the time and no one was injured.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Doug Cope reports
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Museum staff says it could have been much worse if the fire spread throughout the mock village. Other wooden homes were only a couple yards away.
A post on Plimoth Plantation's Twitter account said, "We are very thankful that nobody was injured, and the fire did not spread to any other buildings in the English Village."
"Another thing we're very grateful for here is that none of our rare bred species of animals were affected," Kluin told WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez.
Although the English Village section of the Plantation was closed for a short time, the museum remains open for all regular hours.
The plantation typically draws its largest crowds this time of year.
WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez contributed to this report.
