Chilmark to Appeal Menemsha Fire Insurance Claim Rejection

According to the Vineyard Gazette, at this week’s board of selectmen meeting in Chilmark, the selectmen voted to approve an appeal letter drafted by town counsel Ron Rappaport. The letter “questions the outcome of the investigation into the cause of the July 2010 fire and challenges the Coast Guard’s dismissal of the claim due to the belief the fire started on town property,” reported the Gazette.

The appeal comes in response to the Coast Guard’s decision in March that it would not pay insurance claims for the fire due to questions about where the fire began. The Coast Guard stated that the fire started on the town-owned drive-on pier and not on Coast Guard property. Rappaport’s appeal letter points to eyewitness reports in the investigation that “The fire started on the Coast Guard’s pier leading to the boathouse, including one witness who ‘undeniably saw fire on the USCG pier.’”

In addition to the town, nearly 40 people have filed similar insurance claims for property damages that averaged between $10,000 and $20,000. Nearly half received a similar denial letter as the town. Selectman Warren Doty urged those who received a denial letter from the Coast Guard to file similar appeals using the town’s appeal letter as an addendum.