Boaters around the world felt heartbreak on Saturday, December 12 as scenes began to emerge of Annapolis YC catching fire and burning. We’re attempting to create a timeline of the weekend, filled in with as much information as we can confirm. We’ll update this page as more information becomes available.
Saturday, December 12.
2 p.m. The Club was closed to allow staff to prepare for a viewing of the Eastport YC’s Lighted Boat Parade, an Annapolis holiday tradition. Annapolis was anticipating a crowd of 20,000 spectators for the 6 p.m. start, much of the crowd using Eastport Bridge to view the parade. AYC was anticipating having 600 club members in the building to watch the parade.
Shortly after 2 p.m., a fire started on the third floor of the Club. Original reports stated that a Christmas tree was the first to set fire, but the source of the fire has not been confirmed by the Fire Department.
A statement from the water by
Capital SUP owner Brian Zimmerman: "While SUP training on Spa Creek enjoying the beautiful day, we noticed some smoke coming out of the Annapolis Yacht Club. 5 minutes later, the whole building was in flames." In the first photo, flames are visible on the far right side of the building but fire crews had not arrived yet.
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2:16 p.m. A fire alarm monitoring company made a call to the Annapolis Police Department for a fire at the Club, located at 2 Compromise Street. “Multiple calls to the 911 center reported that smoke was coming from the building’s windows. The fire was immediately upgraded to a full box assignment,” said the Annapolis PD in a statement.
Fire responders arrived on the scene minutes later. “Heavy fire was showing when personnel arrived on scene,” and the fire was upgraded to a second and third alarm. Over 90 fire fighters arrived on the scene.
Staff managers successfully evacuated the entire staff, who were given two minutes to get out of the building. No severe injuries were reported. One fire fighter was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center with a minor injury.
2:30 p.m. The fire raged through the second and third floors of the yacht club. The Spa Creek bridge was closed, and fire boats as well as trucks were seen shooting water into the second and third floors of the Club. The fire boat put 1000 gallons of water on the flame each minute, and was there for two hours.
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3 p.m. A crowd of spectators gathered both on land and on the water to watch the burning. The heat from the flames could be felt across the creek.
3:45 p.m. EYC hoisted the AYC burgee in a show of solidarity.
4:45 p.m. The Club caught fire for a second time, with flames shooting through the roof.
5:15 p.m. With fire fighters still on the scene and much of downtown Annapolis suffering from traffic closures, Eastport YC announced that the Lighted Boats Parade had been canceled, as per the Mayor and City of Annapolis. However, they announced that a static display of lights would be happening on the docks outside their club. EYC also announced that they would host the last Frostbiting race of the season, offering lunch at their club with AYC staff on hand.
6:30 p.m. Fire fighters using a ladder to break open the roof of the yacht club were visible in the background as a dozen decorated boats took to the water despite the parade’s cancelation. Annapolitans gathered on the docks around Eastport and downtown Annapolis to watch the parade, cheering on the boats who decided to celebrate despite the heartbreak. All photos by Eric Moseson.
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7 p.m. The fire was declared out.
10 p.m. All roads were reopened after the fire, as well as the Eastport bridge. Firefighters stayed on scene overnight, picking through the debris and putting out new and old flames.
Sunday, December 13
9 a.m.
Mid Atlantic Aerial Photography posted the following photos on their Facebook page of the aftermath.
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12 noon. Fire fighters were seen pulling the Viking Trophy and other accompanying awards out of the front hall of AYC. A full inventory will be made by AYC officials, and announced later this week.
1 p.m. Dozens of sailboats showed up to participate in the last frostbiting race of the AYC series, hosted by EYC. Instead of finishing boats off the porch at AYC, at the foot of the Eastport bridge, boats finished just inside Annapolis Harbor off Eastport YC. The scent of burgers grilled on the lawn by AYC staffers could be smelled from the water.
1:15 p.m. Annapolis YC released a statement, thanking the “quick response of both our staff and the first responders, who helped avoid any serious injuries.”
“Annapolis Yacht Club is more than the bricks and mortar of a clubhouse; it is a community. We are committed to rebuilding in the current location and in the interim are exploring opportunities to relocate elements of its operation.”