Ocean View Restaurant destroyed by fire

O.B. firefighters joined by several towns to combat blaze.

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Updated March 4

Oak Bluffs firefighters responded to the Ocean View at approximately 10 am Thursday morning and found white smoke billowing from several points in the roof and from a chimney. Flames quickly emerged. 

Tisbury and Edgartown firefighters aided the Oak Bluffs Fire Department in battling the blaze, which quickly spread and shot flames through the roof. Hose crews blasted flames from the front and back of the building while firefighters on the Oak Bluffs fire tower attacked from above with the tower’s water cannon. 

Edgartown’s ladder joined the fight, attacking from a high angle with its water cannon but with no firefighters atop it. West Tisbury firefighters also responded to the scene, as did Oak Bluffs Police, multiple ambulance companies, and the Salvation Army. 

Great billows of smoke blew in the direction of the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association grounds and downtown Oak Bluffs throughout the battle. Firefighters were able to beat down flames coming through the roof for a short while, but flames returned and spread to other parts of the restaurant. 

By 11:15 am most of the fire appeared largely suppressed and fire crews appeared to be dousing smoldering parts of the building. Oak Bluffs Fire Chief Nelson Wirtz told The Times at just before 1 pm that firefighters were cutting inspection holes to assess how far the fire had progressed. Chief Wirtz spoke from Worcester where he was attending a Massachusetts Fire Chiefs Association convention with several other Vineyard chiefs. Capt. John O’Donnell was the incident commander and Deputy Chief Stephen Foster was the operations commander at the scene, Chief Wirtz said. 

Deputy Chief Foster told The Times Thursday night that he’d been at the same conference, and was on his way back as the alarms came in. He estimated he got to the scene roughly midway through the response. Foster said Oak Bluffs firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the restaurant when they first arrived and issued a second alarm. 

“Once the first arriving apparatus positioned themselves, they quickly realized they would need a third alarm to bring additional manpower from all Island communities,” Foster said. “It was determined very quickly that there was heavy fire inside the building that was running the roofline — the length of the roof, in between the ceiling and the roof.”

Foster said firefighters briefly penetrated the building but it was “quickly determined” that the fire would need to be fought from the outside. 

“Very early on our officers made sure that Eversource and the propane company were on location and both power to the building and the propane tanks were shut down,” Foster said. “Eversource did a great job as well as the propane company.”

By 11:30 am Foster said the fire response had been reduced to “chasing hot spots and pockets of fire”. 

To help extinguish the building completely, firefighting foam was used, Foster said. 

“By 1:30  we determined the fire was under control and we requested the Mass State Police and the fire marshal’s office to respond to help investigate,” Foster said. “They were on the 2:30 Steamship Authority trip to the Island.”

Foster called it a “specialized group” that came over with a dog. The dog was brought inside the building, Foster said.

Just before 4 pm, The Times observed a member of this group going aloft on the Oak Bluffs fire tower to photograph the charred remains of the restaurant from a high vantage point. 

At about 6:45 pm the last Oak Bluffs fire apparatus cleared the scene along with the state fire marshal’s office, Foster said. Contractors boarded up the remains of the building after that.

“We have empowered and trained officers to make tactical and operational decisions,” Chief Wirtz wrote in an earlier text. “The radio traffic I can hear it appears sound decisions were made. I’m very proud of those men and women right now.”

Much of the center of the restaurant collapsed in the fire and overall the place looked thoroughly destroyed an hour after the battle began. 

It’s unclear at this time how the fire started.

Chief Wirtz said over the phone it was way too early to be able to point to a cause. Deputy Chief Foster said the investigation “remains ongoing.” To the best of his knowledge, Wirtz said the restaurant had been under renovation. 

Foster said owner Mike Santoro didn’t go to the scene as he was in Florida. 

“The fire marshal’s office and the state police were in touch with him,” Foster said. 

“We’re just happy there were no injuries,” Foster said. “The Oak Bluffs Fire-EMS cannot thank enough our mutual aid partners on the Island. It really was an Island-wide group effort.” Foster also thanked the Oak Bluffs Police and the State Police for their work at the scene.

Updated with additional photographs.

23 COMMENTS

  1. Who else remembers the old Ocean View that burned down in the late 1950’s. I recall going there to my grandmother’s
    Birthday party the summer before that fire. Hopefully this one Will rise from the
    Ashes too

    • I believe it was 1963-64 Jan 1st or close to it,all the water froze,everything was covered in ice, even the firemen who worked so hard to save it,so sad to it all over again.

  2. Looking forward to the new and improved Ocean View, my hope is that the MVC does not give them to much trouble, that insurance is enough to rebuild and that the neighbors understand. Just glad no one seems to of been hurt and buildings can be replaced.

  3. January 15?, 1965, first noticed 11PM. Fire Chief was Nelson Amaral. On arrival at the Ocean View Hotel (40 guest rooms), although the hotel was closed, the kitchen door was found open. More than 100 firefighters on that scene.

  4. We hope there can be a local OB fundraiser
    To help rebuild the restaurant. What a wonderful
    Restaurant!

    • That would be cool–I’m all for that! I don’t live on the island myself but I’ve been a visitor for years, I’ve dined at OV more than any place on the island–I got tons of memories. I plan to come to the island in spring, then again in autumn, was looking forward to OV again but I’m that’s all crushed, I’m so sorry for all of you.

  5. Many years of memories and they made my favorite shrimp scampi! So sad!!! 🥲
    Hopefully the Island contractors will join forces and make rebuilding their priority!

  6. Great job knocking down the fire,firefighting is a lot more dangerous today. Everything is made with plastic so you have fuel fires not wood fires anymore and making entry into a building fire not a good idea unless a life can be saved. We just had a course on how to read smoke. Venting and firefighting like when i was on the O.B.F.D Ladder and Eng 3 years ago is out the window ! My dad was siting at the bar of the Ocean View when I went in for the grease fire in the kitchen vent. I had to tell everyone to leave and my dad !

    • I matched the pictures to the video. Water on the road appears to be from the green hose at the rear of the structure. Smoke emanating from the entire cockloft (front to rear of the structure) suggests little fire in the potentially occupied space and a roof job, hence the bucket/ladder crew preparing to put the truck in service.

  7. Such a tragedy! My family has been joying Ocean View for decades! My girl friend and I would make day trips from the South Shore to eat there. So sad! Hopefully they’ll be able to rebuild

    • Sounds exactly like me. I live in Delaware but I’ve visited the island for decades. I’d stay down at South Shore ’till sundown, then head back to OB to dine at OB. I still plan to come to MV in spring, then again in autumn.

  8. what a sad fire season we are having. its terrible to lose OV and I hope it rebuilds soon. Meanwhile the fire department was using fire fighting foam…that’s the stuff with PFAS in it, right? not so good….

  9. Our favorite neighborhood “locals” restaurant ❤️. Have visited often over 25-plus years of vacations there. Hoping no one was hurt, and sending huge thanks to the tireless responders! Ocean View will once again rise from the ashes!

  10. Debi and I have owned the house next door to the wonderful Ocean View for some 24 years. Not only will we miss our second kitchen and gathering place of the many friends we have met in the restaurant. We wish Mike and the staff a speedy rebuild
    Next and equally important we thank the fire professionals and staff that saved our house from disaster. I hope to be able to buy each and every one of you a beer at the new Ocean View soon.

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