Two New Bedford Fires Catch Garage, Fishing Boat on Same Day

NEW BEDFORD — New Bedford firefighters put out two fires on Wednesday in which a city garage caught fire in the early morning, before a fishing boat also caught fire hours later.

No injuries were reported in either incident, according to statements released by the fire department.

At 3:45 a.m. on Jan. 12, the department got a 911 call from a passerby reporting smoke coming from a one-story building that houses a garage and two other businesses on Brook Street.

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Crews arrived to find smoke coming from the roof at the northwest corner of the building.

Then just before 11 a.m. that same morning, the fire department received multiple 911 calls reporting a fire on a fishing vessel at the southeast end of Leonard's Wharf.

Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming out of the Prowess, which was moored to two other fishing boats at the time.

District Chief Brian Medeiros said it was a small fire that was contained in the vessel's pilot house.

Six crew members, including the vessel's owner, were on board at the time, but no injuries were reported, according to Medeiros.

Crews managed to extinguish the blaze with one hose within minutes, he said.

The boat sustained minimal damage.