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Photo Vincent Guadazno
A fire that destroyed the studio of artist Arthur Cohen will be investigated by the state fire marshal’s office. |
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Fire ravages art studio
State fire marshal is investigating for possible arson
By Sue Harrison
Banner Staff
PROVINCETOWN — The state fire marshal’s office will be asked to investigate a fire that destroyed the studio of artist Arthur Cohen late Tuesday afternoon.
Deputy Fire Chief Warren Alexander said Tuesday the state fire marshal would be called in to investigate. Recalling the string of 12 arsons this past fall, this fire and another suspicious incident that occurred sometime in the last week have put the department back on alert.
Provincetown firefighters responded to a call for a building fire at 313 Bradford St. around 5 p.m. on Tuesday. When they arrived, the small studio building at the rear of the Arthur Cohen residence was fully engulfed in flames. Firemen were able to contain the fire and knock it down in less than an hour but spent time afterward looking for hotspots. The studio and its contents were a complete loss.
“It was popping up into the treetops. It was a serious fire,” said witness Keith Amato.
Cohen was in New York at the time of the fire. When called and told about it by his friend and fellow artist Sal Del Deo, Cohen said he would return to Provincetown Wednesday. He also told Del Deo that he had around 15 large paintings stored in the studio space that he primarily used for etchings.
“They live in a tenement house in New York and just wait for their time here,” Del Deo said. “At least it was not the house.”
In a separate event, Provincetown police said the owner of a local frame shop Monday reported a possible arson attempt at his studio, located at 288A Bradford St. According to the police report, Shaun Pfeiffer, owner of Provincetown Picture Framing, said he found some scorched shingles on the rear wall of the framing studio that were not there a week ago, when he was last at the property.
The fire department took photos of the burned shingles and sent them to the state fire marshal’s office for investigation.
While there has not been an intentionally set fire in Provincetown since Nov. 28, both the town’s acting police chief, Warren Tobias, and fire marshal spokesperson Jennifer Mieth said the investigation into the multiple arsons is still ongoing.
“We know it’s frustrating not to give details. But it is not dead at this point. There is still a very active investigation out of this office,” Mieth said.
In another possibly suspicious fire, an intentionally set blaze that destroyed a garage at the French Cable Station Museum in Orleans last week was not related to the string of Provincetown arsons, according to fire officials.
While not giving specifics, both the state fire marshal’s office and Tobias said the Orleans fire was sufficiently different in the way it was set to convince them it was not the work of the person or persons who have set 12 fires in Provincetown.
“There were some things about the [Orleans] fire that did not fit,” Mieth said.
“I don’t see the same signs. I don’t see it as connected, either,” Tobias said.
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Mar 6th, 2008