Maine’s state fire marshal’s office has ruled a fire in the keeper’s house in Prospect Harbor on Monday morning as accidental. The fire reportedly started in a ventilation fan located in the ceiling in a bathroom. The lighthouse tower was not damaged in the fire. Ten departments helped fight the fire in the historic wood-frame dwelling.
A family of five was staying in the house at the time and a family member reported the fire at 5:13 a.m. The family was able to escape unharmed.
The original granite lighthouse at Prospect Harbor was replaced in 1891 by the present 38-foot wooden lighthouse and the farmhouse-style keeper’s house. In recent years, the keeper’s house, known as Gull Cottage, has been available for overnight stays for active and retired military families. That program ended in October 2021 when the property was put under a different military branch for oversight.
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Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is the president and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org