The boat and building belonged to Jim McLean, who has lived at the residence for 25 years and said all of his tools, including items that had belonged to his grandfather, were lost in the fire along with a tractor, rototiller lawn mowers and other equipment. An antique 1975 Honda motorcycle was damaged where section of it melted from the heat.

McLean said he was working on the boat, which was parked on its trailer near the workshop, and had left to go to Brackett’s Market on Front Street. While gone a friend who is a firefighter alerted him there was a fire in his neighborhood, and as he came down Washington Street toward home, McLean said he saw the smoke.

Firefighters were already near when the fire started after getting called to check on a fire alarm at a vacant building on Somerset Place where they determined there was no fire. Fire Chief Steve Hinds said that because the boat and garage were located behind the property, firefighters ran hoses from the street to the fire to extinguish it, which he estimated took around 15 minutes. The fire was reported at 2:09 p.m. and crews cleared the scene at 3:27 p.m.

Hinds said the fire started at the rear of the boat, where McLean had been working, and was accidental.

McLean said his boat is usually docked at Kennebec Tavern and Marina, but the motor wasn’t working right.

Everything was covered by insurance, McLean stuff, adding the building wasn’t worth much, but he had a lot of stuff inside.

Hinds said no one was hurt in the fire.