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Photo Kaimi Rose Lum
Tree trucks came from as far as Vermont to help clean up storm damage on the Outer Cape. |
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Arson on hold as storm sweeps through
Banner Daily Update Mon. Nov. 5
By Sue Harrison
Banner Staff
After Friday night’s extensive fire at the Oppen house in Provincetown’s West End, residents were on edge about the continuing string of suspected arsons. Each set of fire tones that went off had people holding their collective breath and hoping for false alarms. And for this weekend at least, that was what each turned out to be.
A “good intention” call from a neighbor on Telegraph Hill — within a stone’s throw of the Oppen fire — came in on Saturday and had fire trucks scrambling but the fire turned out to be an optical illusion caused by one of the many lights now being left on at night being filtered through storm tossed trees. For now the fire total in the suspected arsons sits at 11.
Remnants of Hurricane Noel blew through on Saturday and winds picked up throughout the Outer Cape. The National Weather Service estimates wind gusts of between 70 and 74 mph for the area. Tree limbs were downed, some blocking roads and others taking out power lines. Localized power outages were reported and, as of Monday morning, several areas in Eastham were still without power. The traffic light at Route 6 and Brackett Road was still out of service on Monday as well.
The Cape Cod National Seashore reports three to five feet of erosion along the ocean beaches in Wellfleet and Eastham and the recently installed stairs at Nauset Light Eastham have been undermined.
Eastham police officer Jon Pierpont suffered the only storm-related injury reported to the Banner so far. He was responding to the scene of a transformer fire on Locust Road when a second transformer blew in front of his face. Pierpont suffered temporary blindness from the flash but his vision later returned.
Although there were no fires, arsons or otherwise in Provincetown over the weekend, there was a serious blaze in Eastham. Capt. Brian Edmunds of the Eastham Fire Dept. said a passerby saw a cottage on fire early Sunday morning and called it in at 4:49 a.m.
On arrival, Edmunds said flames were coming through the roof and windows of a cottage, one of four structures located at 70 Old County Road in Eastham. The fire was contained to the cottage, which was largely destroyed. Firefighters were able to stop the fire short of the two other cottages and the main house. The cottage was unoccupied at the time.
Proximity to the Orleans water system aided in getting the fire out quickly and no one was injured, Edmunds said.
The cause of the Eastham fire is undetermined and the local fire department and state fire marshal’s office are investigating.
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Town Meeting pushes for spending pullback
Chequessett cougar?
Chico-Jess sinks
Oppen house set on fire
Outer Cape readies for Noel
Preschool screening Nov. 7
Three fires on Wed. may point to arsonist
Around the Cape this weekend
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Nov 1st, 2007