NAHANT — During the Board of Selectman meeting on Dec. 18, the board voted to approve a new Fire Department donation fund.
Fire Department Chief Austin Antrim spoke before the board in favor of the donation fund. “This thing really came out of the blue,” Antrim said. “This all stems from a fire that occurred in Peabody back in twenty-sixteen.”
He noted that last week, the department received a check from Dave Harrison, who owned the building Antrim was referring to. Antrim claimed the building was leased by a company that produced Styrofoam, and due to issues, the fire was deemed a hazardous materials incident.
Antrim added that to properly fight the fire, it took Nahant Fire Dept. at least twenty-four hours to help assist Peabody until the scene was rendered safe. According to Antrim, the owner of the building donated a total of $6,948.17.
It was mentioned during the board meeting that the creation of a donation fund would help facilitate the funds being properly utilized. “We certainly have some needs where we could apply that money to,” Antrim said.
Antrim took a moment to reflect on Harrison’s generosity and willingness to help support the Dept. “He had no obligation to pay this. He’s a firefighter in Maine, and he said he wanted to make good on his promise to compensate all the departments that participated in putting out that fire,” Antrim said.
