State Fire Marshal’s Office Rules Cause of New Year’s Eve Bluebird Fire ‘Undetermined’

Water, Wi-Fi Issues Force Motel to Cancel Bookings Until February

Paul Sylvain

The cause of a Christmas Eve fire that destroyed two-thirds of the Bluebird Motel’s main lodging building, fronting Route 1/Dublin Street in Machias, has been classified as “undetermined” by investigators with the state Fire Marshal’s Office.

According to a press release issued on Dec. 31, Lt. Aaron M. Turcotte, troop commander with the Office of Training and Professional Development, stated the cause of the blaze could not be determined “due to the extent of the damage.”

Two other lodging buildings, behind the front unit, as well as the motel’s office and manager’s residence, were not damaged by the fire, however, the motel’s Wi-Fi and internet hub, which were housed in the front building, were destroyed. 

Additionally, water pipes and connections under the front building that feed water to the undamaged lodging buildings in back were damaged.

The motel’s management had hoped to restore Wi-Fi internet and water service to the two back buildings, allowing them to honor guest reservations by mid-January. However, 10 days following the blaze, the Bluebird’s management was forced to cancel all of its January reservations but remained hopeful that it would get the back two buildings up and running in February.

“It has become apparent that we have had to notify the remaining guests for January, that our two back buildings will most likely not have water restored for reservations beginning their arrivals on Jan. 14,” management stated on the Bluebird’s Facebook page on Jan. 2. “Thus, we have closed out our booking calendar for January 2025, and offered free cancellation to all reservations that were booked for the second half of this month.”

The post goes on to say that the motel’s management and owner “continue to work with our insurance company to move forward with restoring water to our two back buildings, the demolition of our front building, and then the rebuilding process. Since this is a commercial entity, there are more steps involved than if it was a personal home that had been damaged by fire. Our guest’s patience is very much appreciated, as we navigate this process.”

The Bluebird has also encountered an issue with its booking software, which was making it difficult for prospective guests to book reservations for the two back lodging buildings between Feb. 1 and 26. The motel’s management stated in its post that its property management software company was working to address the problem.

Related Posts
State Fire Marshal’s Office Rules Cause of New Year’s Eve Bluebird Fire ‘Undetermined’
Emily Erskine Receives MPA Principal’s Award
State Fire Marshal’s Office Rules Cause of New Year’s Eve Bluebird Fire ‘Undetermined’
Downeast Boys’ Basketball Preview: Key Players, What to Expect, and More
No image
Green McCarthyism