PORTLAND, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills on Monday applauded Portland firefighters for their response to last month’s massive Custom House Wharf fire, calling their actions brave and crediting them with preventing even greater destruction along the city’s working waterfront.
Mills addressed the Portland City Council to recognize firefighters and mutual aid crews who battled the Dec. 26 blaze in freezing temperatures and dangerous conditions, including limited access and the threat of collapsing structures. The fire destroyed a warehouse used by lobstermen and a maintenance shop. Because of the extensive damage, officials have said the exact cause may never be known.
While the governor focused her remarks on the fire response and recovery efforts, she did not address the growing Gateway Communities scandal.
Gateway Communities, a Portland-based nonprofit, is currently under investigation by Congressman James Comer and the U.S. House Oversight Committee. The organization was also visited last week in Lewiston by Homeland Security agents.
In the days following the wharf fire, local groups have organized relief efforts for those affected, including fundraising merchandise sales and a benefit concert scheduled later this month.
