bristol yacht club fire

Adjusting Their Sails

The bristol yacht club community rallies to rebuild after fall fire.

When the Bristol Yacht Club ’s clubhouse building suffered severe damage after a mulch-turned-structural fire on the afternoon of October 21, club executive mem- bers never doubted their plans to rebuild.

Ruth Souto, Commodore of the BYC, arrived on-scene just as firefighters doused the exterior flames, joining Chief Steward Chris Healey and other staff and club members in shock at the sight unfolding before them. “It was hard to fathom that our Club was burning. It was surreal,” says Souto, thanking club members for their outpouring of support and offers of assistance.

The BYC, comprised of 325 members and their families, shares a mutual love and respect for all things water and boating. From sailors and power boaters, to kayakers and paddle boarders, club members are a strong community of volunteers, aged infant to 80s, with varying expertise in the areas of architecture, construction, law, insurance, and beyond, “[suiting] the club well in this particular situation,” adds Souto.

Since the night of the fire, the BYC family has rolled up their sleeves and gotten to work on their plans to rebuild. With an estimated timeframe of 18 months, Souto says that the group has continued, daily, to move forward. Though the BYC’s interior was severely compromised as a result of the fire, the structural integrity of the building was miraculously preserved with the exception of the south side of the building.

“We have already begun the process of removing the walls, floors, and ceilings,” shares Souto, “We are still running our Frostbite Sailing series as usual, [which] began in November and [will] continue to sail through the spring.” She adds that “sailors are generally adaptable people [and] as the old adage goes, ‘We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.’”

On behalf of the club, Souto extends her gratitude to the various first responders, U.S. Sailing , Herreshoff Marine Museum , Barrington Yacht Club , and Bristol County Elks for their assistance and contributions. In particular, she expresses thanks to Healey, whose “calm demeanor was exactly what was needed during the emergency and has continued to carry [the BYC] through this unfortunate time.”

Reflecting on 34 years of memories, Souto asserts that “the Bristol Yacht Club is more than a building; we are a community and will work together to overcome this unfortunate circumstance.” 

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Crime & Safety

Bristol crews battled yacht club fire sunday, no one was hurt, but the building was damaged on the south side, the chief said. discarded smoking materials may have been the cause..

Margo Sullivan , Patch Staff

BRISTOL, RI—Crews battled a two-alarm fire at the Bristol Yacht Club on Sunday. The fire broke out around 1 p.m., but according to fire Chief Michael A. DeMello, it likely had been smoldering for several hours. The cause is still under investigation, but officials suspect smoking materials tossed in mulch are the culprit.

No one was hurt, the chief said.

"The building sustained quite a bit of damage on the South side, however will be repairable," he said. "With the assistance of Warren, Portsmouth, Swansea on scene, crews were able to stop the fire from destroying the entire building."

Find out what's happening in Bristol-Warren with free, real-time updates from Patch.

He described a "very labor intensive fire," which "required opening holes into ceilings and walls to find hidden fire." Part of the challenge could be explained by indications that "the fire had been burning deep in some void spaces for several hours, possibly due to the discarding of smoking materials in the mulch sometime in the previous 12 -18 hours," he said.

Tiverton and Portsmouth also provided mutual aid.

Image via Shutterstock

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Fire damages Bristol Yacht Club

BRISTOL, R.I. -- The Bristol Yacht Club says it will be closed until further notice after a fire caused substantial damage at its clubhouse Sunday afternoon.

The yacht club on Poppasquash Road said the fire started in the mulch outside the kitchen and grew into a four-alarm blaze. There were no injuries, the yacht club said.

“The Bristol Yacht Club is more than a building; we are a community and will work together to overcome this unfortunate circumstance,” Commodore Ruth E. Souto said in a written statement.

Chief Michael DeMello of the Bristol Fire Department said authorities believe the fire was caused by someone throwing a cigarette butt or some other smoking material in the mulch, possibly from the night before.

The fire took a "labor-intensive" hour and a half to put out, DeMello said.

 "They did a heck of a job," DeMello said.

Commodore: Bristol Yacht Club closed because of fire

by NBC 10 NEWS

BRISTOL, R.I. (WJAR) — The clubhouse at the Bristol Yacht Club will be closed until further notice because it was heavily damaged in fire, the club's commodore said in a Facebook post Monday.

Firefighters responded to the multiple-alarm fire Sunday afternoon. The fire began in some mulch and spread to the clubhouse building.

Smoke could be seen pouring from the club at 101 Poppasquash Road before firefighters arrived.

"As the Club will be closed for some time, information will be forthcoming about upcoming events," Commodore Ruth Souto said in the post. "The Bristol Yacht Club is more than a building; we are a community and will work together to overcome this unfortunate circumstance."

No one was hurt. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

BRISTOL YACHT CLUB

Welcome to Bristol Yacht Club

Welcome to the bristol yacht club.

Our BYC Mission

The objective of the Bristol Yacht Club is to encourage and promote yachting, seamanship, aquatic sports and social activities among its members.  

We invite prospective members to learn more about joining our Club here and to link here to read our monthly newsletter, The BYC Mainsheet, which introduces you to our members and our  activities both on and off the water.

A Bristol Institution

Founded in 1877 by a group of Brown University students "for the purpose of mutual interests and the practicing of rowing on our harbor, the principal object of the club being however to have a good time," Bristol Yacht Club has been having a good time ever since!

We've updated this mission since then to "encourage and promote yachting, seamanship, aquatic sports and social activities among our members." Our Club is driven through the volunteerism of our membership, which makes possible our many social activities, family events, friendly yet competitive racing, Clubhouse and waterfront amenities, member cruises, and instructional classes. It's obvious to anyone who visits the Club we take our mission seriously.

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Bristol Crews Battled Yacht Club Fire Sunday

BRISTOL, RI—Crews battled a two-alarm fire at the Bristol Yacht Club on Sunday. The fire broke out around 1 p.m., but according to fire Chief Michael A. DeMello, it likely had been smoldering for several hours. The cause is still under investigation, but officials suspect smoking materials tossed in mulch are the culprit.

No one was hurt, the chief said.

"The building sustained quite a bit of damage on the South side, however will be repairable," he said. "With the assistance of Warren, Portsmouth, Swansea on scene, crews were able to stop the fire from destroying the entire building."

He described a "very labor intensive fire," which "required opening holes into ceilings and walls to find hidden fire." Part of the challenge could be explained by indications that "the fire had been burning deep in some void spaces for several hours, possibly due to the discarding of smoking materials in the mulch sometime in the previous 12 -18 hours," he said.

Tiverton and Portsmouth also provided mutual aid.

Image via Shutterstock

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Published on October 22nd, 2018 | by Editor

Fire at Bristol Yacht Club

Published on October 22nd, 2018 by Editor -->

The Bristol Yacht Club (Bristol, RI) will be closed until further notice after a fire caused substantial damage at its clubhouse on October 21.

The fire started in the mulch outside the kitchen and grew into a four-alarm blaze. Chief Michael DeMello of the Bristol Fire Department said authorities believe the fire was caused by someone throwing a cigarette butt or some other smoking material in the mulch, possibly from the night before.

“There were no injuries and we thank everyone for the outpouring of support we continue to receive,” said Commodore Ruth E. Souto. “The Bristol Yacht Club is more than a building, we are a community and will work together to overcome this unfortunate circumstance.”

Tags: Bristol Yacht Club , fire , tragedy

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Bristol Yacht Club Located in Edgely, PA

Travel, enjoy and live a new and full life.

Welcome to the Bristol Yacht Club's website. Bristol Yacht Club is a private club founded in 1948. We invite you to join our club or at least stop by for a visit. You'll quickly notice that our members are courteous, friendly and active in the many events our club offers. Bristol Yacht Club offers four classes of membership to appeal to today's boating enthusiasts. Our members enjoy our club facilities and activities. With or without a boat, our membership categories include Active, Inactive, Honorary, and Junior. We are active members of the Delaware River Yacht League (DRYL), and Chesapeake Bay Yacht Club Association (CBYCA).

BYC - Contact us

2022 events, cash splash - 4/23/2022, opening day - 5/14/2022, cornhole - 6/18/2022, river rock - 8/20/2022, pig roast - 9/17/2022, cash splash - 9/24/2022, bon fire - 10/15/2022, trim a tree - 12/10/2022, kids christmas party - 12/17/2022, 2022 officers, vice commodore:, rear commodore:, fleet captain:, financial secretary:, 5 year trustee:, house trustee:, docks trustee:, grounds trustee:.

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Welcome to Bristol Yacht Club, where our outstanding amenities combine with the historic and picturesque charm of Bristol, Rhode Island, to make a perfect landing spot for visiting boaters. At BYC, we welcome visiting cruising clubs as well as individual cruisers. All are welcome to enjoy our easily accessible moorings, Club facilities and our sailing classes!

A rental at BYC includes free launch service to our docks, grounds and newly renovated Clubhouse ... and to downtown Bristol with its many restaurants, shops and historic treasures. We welcome you to tie up dockside to take on water and purchase ice - and to chat with our friendly staff about all Bristol has to offer. We invite you to use our launch or dinghy dock to access our bathrooms and showers (open 24/7), and our playground, gas BBQ and picnic areas. Our Clubhouse, completely updated in 2019, offers a relaxing bar, lounge and a porch overlooking the harbor - a perfect spot to enjoy a cocktail while chatting with new and old friends. Or pull up an Adirondack chair dockside, steps from our outdoor bar and play area. It is a short "country" walk from our property to enjoy the beauty of Colt State Park and the family-favorite Coggeshall Farm. Just steps away you can rent paddle boards, kayaks and bicycles - a perfect way to have fun on Bristol harbor waters or the East Bay Bike Path. For extended cruisers, we'll direct you to area supermarkets, hardware stores, laundry, sail-maker, and marine supplies and repairs. To plan your visit and view more information: https://www.bristolyc.com/ To learn to sail at Bristol Yacht Club: https://www.bristolyc.com/learn-to-sail-2

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• SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2024

Three fires in Bristol today, including yacht club

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Bristol firefighters were called to the Bristol Yacht Club on Poppasquash Road Sunday afternoon because of a fire in the main building. According to sources, it is the second time firefighters have been there today. Earlier in the day, a yacht club employee found mulch around the bulding smoldering from a cigarette that had been tossed there. Firefighters responded to ensure there was no threat, but were called back hours later when the side of the building was smoking and showing flames.

Early Sunday morning, crews were called to two structure fires, including a blaze that signficantly damaged a home on Kingswood Road and another on Bayview Avenue. The Ladies Auxiliary of the Bristol Fire Department is gathering clothing and more to help a family that was displaced. Click here to learn more about how to help.

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Arrest made after huge fire destroys boats and businesses on Bristol Harbour

• West Country
• Bristol Harbour
• Monday 8 May 2023 at 11:13am

A 45-year-old man has been arrested after a huge fire badly damaged boats and businesses on Bristol Harbour.

The blaze burned through the night on Saturday at Underfall Yard , a working boatyard in the Hotwells area of the city.

Nobody was hurt in the fire, but homes and houseboats were evacuated while fire crews battled the flames.

Avon and Somerset Police officers working alongside fire investigators have now deemed the cause of the incident as 'suspicious'.

Officers arrested a man on 7 May and are currently questioning him in custody.

Photographs have revealed the scale of destruction caused by the serious fire , which swept through the boatyard.

The charity that runs Bristol's Underfall Yard has said it has been left "devastated" by the blaze, but has vowed to rebuild the area back to its former glory.

Any witnesses to the incident or anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting reference number 5223105176.