ANIKA CLARK
SouthCoast Today
Reprinted with Permission

NEW BEDFORD — Nearly 30 firefighters battled a general alarm fire at Eastern Fisheries in New Bedford Wednesday night that sent plumes of dark smoke above a harborside parking lot.

The fire was reported shortly after 6:30 p.m., according to a dispatcher for the New Bedford Fire Department. First responders reported no one was inside the building, which was locked upon their arrival, Chief Brian Faria said.

As of about 8 p.m., Faria didn't know the cause of the fire but said it appeared contained to a bumped-up portion of the structure he described as a well-insulated refrigerated area.

"At this time, we feel that the fire's knocked down," he said, adding that while this portion of the structure sustained severe damage, no one had been injured.

The two-story building on Hervey Tichon Avenue houses Eastern Fisheries and Dockside Repairs, which people on the scene said are run by the Enoksen family.

Eastern Fisheries was founded in 1978 by Roy Enoksen and Frank O'Hara, according to its Web site, which says the company operates more than 20 scallop vessels and handles about 20 million pounds of scallops annually — roughly 20 percent of the total consumption in the United States.

Shop foreman Tim Lenling of Fairhaven said he's worked there for at least 25 years. The smoking structure jutting from the top of the building contains five ice-making machines, which empty into a bin below, according to Lenling, who said the ice is used for fishing boats as well as in the processing operation.

"I don't know what the problem is," he said, watching the smoke that continued to pour from the building more than an hour after firefighters arrived. "It's really too bad."

Firefighters initially attempted to fight the fire from inside the building but had difficulty accessing the area that was burning, according to Faria. At approximately 7 p.m., firefighters could be seen from Hervey Tichon Avenue scaling a ladder leading up to the roof.

Another ladder enabled firefighters to battle the blaze from the side of the building facing the harbor. A hole firefighters cut into the side of the bumped-up area provided additional access and ventilation, according to Faria, who said several crews ultimately gained enough access inside the building to fight areas that were still smoldering.

Among to many onlookers, who included workers at the company and a woman who had come from the nearby Wharf Tavern, was City Councilor John Saunders.

"When I heard about (the fire), I came down," he said. Saunders said he's a friend of the Enoksen family and expressed regret about the fire.

"You know what? They're a strong family ... and they'll rebuild," he said. "They're the nicest people."