A dive centre based in Brookline, Massachusetts, has promised to rebuild after being severely damaged by a fire in which a member of staff and a firefighter were also injured.
The blaze broke out on the morning of 28 May at East Coast Divers, which is located beneath two flats in a three-storey building. Residents of the apartments above the dive centre were all safely evacuated.
Around 60 firefighters attended the scene, with crews from neighbouring communities supporting the local Brookline Fire Department.
Witnesses reported hearing multiple explosions as the fire reached cylinders of compressed gas located in the dive centre, which caused the fire to spread further.
One of the dive centre’s employees reportedly suffered minor burns, and the firefighter sustained a cut to his hand. Both injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
Co-owner Nick Fazah told Boston 25 News that damage to the centre and the equipment contained within it exceeded $400,000.
He said other dive shops and Boston University had offered help, and that the business would continue providing diving lessons while working towards rebuilding.
A fundraising campaign has been launched to support the dive centre’s recovery.
‘We’ve pulled ourselves up from our bootstraps before,’ said Fazah, ‘and we’ll do it again.’
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by Brookline fire investigators and the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal’s Office.
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