Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!

Kittery Residents Relieved After Arrests in U.S.S. Miami Fires

Kittery, Maine residents are relieved that there has been an apparent resolution to the U.S.S. Miami fire and smaller blaze nearby at the Portsmouth Navy Yard. 
Town Manager Bob Markel says that the police department was flooded with calls from worried residents who saw the plume of flames rising from the fire stricken sub back on May 23rd.  The arrest of one suspect in the fires has brought relief to residents and town officials.  Markel says there was widespread belief that the incident and another one weren’t accidents.

"It was not just one fire, there was another small fire several days later.  So, from that point onward we suspected that these fires were being set as opposed to just happening because of an electrical failure."

Markel says that, as a result of the U.S.S. Miami fire, the town of Kittery has budgeted funds and hired a private company to provide emergency phone calls to residents during such incidents.  He also says that the Portsmouth Navy Yard has been very forthright in communicating with his town and the city of Portsmouth about situations that happen at the Navy Yard.
 

Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.