Firefighters struggle to put out Yarmouth blaze

YARMOUTH, Mass. -- Firefighters struggled to fight a fire at an inn in Yarmouth due to strong winds on Sunday evening.

Even in the pouring rain, huge flames shot out of the roof of a beachside inn in Yarmouth. The Red Rose Inn was fully engulfed.

There wasn’t much firefighters could do to knock the fire down.

“It was too dangerous to get inside the building,” said Chief Michael A. Walker of the Yarmouth Fire Department. “The smoke conditions were such you couldn’t even see the street. In fact, we were outside with air packs on.”

Neighbors said the old building has recently undergone renovations. At the time of the fire no one was staying at the inn.

The second floor - which is all rooms - quickly filled with fire and smoke.

“All summer they renovated. New owners bought it and it looked really promising - like to turn around. And then, I can’t believe this happened. It’s really sad,” said one neighbor.

Employees said the restaurant, which is downstairs at the Inn, closes at 3 p.m. on Sundays - several hours before the fire broke out.

“Pretty devastating because we’ve only been open since right after Labor Day and they’re renovating and the whole inside is brand new. It’s a loss,” said Laura Edmunds, a waitress at the Red Rose Tavern.

Weather played a factor as firefighters tried to knock down the flames. Firefighters atop a ladder had to shoot the hose at an angle due to strong winds to try and put out the flames - the water was pushed to the side, making it difficult for officials to get the fire under control.

“The wind conditions were phenomenal and we were extremely worried about the spread of fire because a lot of embers and a lot of fire moving quickly across the street,” said Walker.

The nearly-renovated inn may be a total loss. It may take a significant amount of time for investigators to get inside and determine the cause of the blaze.

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