Ogunquit business owners grapple with loss from fire, as hope for rebuilding emerges

OGUNQUIT (WGME)— Two beloved businesses in Ogunquit were severely damaged by a fire Saturday night, and now the community is rallying around them.

The owner of one of the businesses, Oarweed Restaurant, tells CBS13 he was meeting with insurance agents today. He was understandably shaken up on the phone and said he wasn’t ready to do an interview. The business that’s been his livelihood for decades, now a shell of itself.

The restaurant, which has been a staple of Ogunquit’s Perkins Cove since 1963, was severely damaged. Flames consumed much of the building Saturday night.

Radio traffic from the Ogunquit fire department captured the urgency of the situation Saturday: “Start knocking down some of the fire between the two buildings, please. We do have two propane tanks that have kicked off. We need to try and shut down, or we’re gonna lose Oarweed.”

John Clancy, who owns a shop just down the road from Oarweed, says small businesses make up a big part of Ogunquit’s character.

“It means a lot to so many people who experience the joy of coming to Perkins Cove in Ogunquit,” Clancy said.

Next door, the fire also destroyed Uniques and Antiques, a shop that has been selling holiday goods for over a decade. The store’s shelves were filled with Christmas items, now burned to rubble, just days before the holiday.

The shop owners sister responded to our inquiries about the fire, writing, “Rusty put his heart and soul into this business and understandably needs time to process such a huge loss.”

Firefighters struggled to contain the blaze in Saturday’s bitter cold, with downed electrical wires complicating their efforts.

“Incoming companies use caution. Power lines are on the ground,” a firefighter can be heard warning over radio traffic Saturday night.

“I know we always say they’re heroes, but oh my goodness, the EMTs, the firefighters, the police — it was so cold out that night,” Clancy said.

Despite the devastation, a sense of strength and hope to rebuild is already growing.

Oarweed Restaurant posted a message on Facebook saying, “This old Oarweed will shine in the summer sun.”