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Early morning fire destroys Jackson's Thayer Marine boat dealership

Thayer Marine building in flames with covered boats in the foreground
Courtesy
/
Jacob Ambs
A Thayer Marine employee says fire officials believe lightning caused an electrical fire that destroyed the building.

A fire that tore through a longtime Jackson boat dealership Wednesday morning will not sink the business, its owners said.

Thayer Marine Service, a fixture in the community since 1987, was destroyed after flames swept through the building shortly after opening hours.

Jacob Ambs, the dealership’s service manager, said he had just arrived at work at 8 a.m. when he noticed smoke and flames coming from the attic.

“By the time they got here with a ladder truck, the shop area was a total loss, and that projected into the showroom which also is a current total loss,” Ambs said.

Ambs says fire officials believe a lightning strike during overnight storms may have sparked the blaze.

“We had heavy lightning strikes in the area last night, and it apparently hit one of the lines and back-fed into the business and started an electrical fire that went upward into the attic,” said Ambs.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Summit Township Fire Department is still working to complete its investigation of the blaze.

Despite the damage, Thayer Marine’s owners say they plan to rebuild and resume operations as soon as possible. A tent will be set up on-site in the meantime to continue serving customers.

In addition to boat sales, Thayer Marine provides repair services and boat storage.

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