A major fire broke out at the Annapolis Yacht Club last Saturday. Nearby streets were blocked off.
The club was closed Saturday in preparation for the Parade of Lights, which was expected to draw nearly 600 guests. The mayor made the decision to cancel the parade so that no participating boats would be damaged.
90 firefighters fought the fire for several hours. The fire almost completely destroyed the second and third floors of the building.
The yacht club building, built in 1960, was not equipped with sprinklers.
The official cause of the fire has not yet been named, but according to some sources the garland of the artificial Christmas tree, which was installed on the third floor of the building, might have caught fire.
«The Annapolis Yacht Club is not just a mountain of bricks and cement. It's a community. We intend to restore it to its original location. We are currently exploring options to relocate the Club while it is rebuilt»," the administration said in a statement.
Fortunately, none of the 150 employees of the yacht club were injured. One of the firefighters was hospitalized with minor injuries.
