Choose Granite Countertops Near Me Hingham, MA for Elegance and Durability

Lance ReynoldsBoston Herald(TNS)

A massive four-alarm fire has caused damage to the South Shore Sports Center in Hingham that officials describe as beyond repair, ripping a community staple away from the region.

The Hingham Fire Department responded to the 56,400 square-foot building on Recreation Park Drive, near Route 3, Thursday night around 11, after receiving a fire alarm system activation.

Firefighters “encountered a heavy volume of fire throughout,” upon arrival, battling the harsh flames into the early morning hours. Officials ordered a fourth-alarm at about 3:30 a.m., as multiple surrounding towns provided mutual aid.

Officials stayed at the scene to contain smoldering hot spots hours after firefighters extinguished the blaze.

“The building is probably a total loss,” Hingham Deputy Fire Chief David Levenson told reporters at the scene Friday morning. He anticipates the complex having to be demolished.

The fire’s impact beyond the heavily damaged structure is extensive.

“It’s been around for 25 years or more,” Levenson said of the Sports Center. “Soccer, basketball, baseball – everything went on here. It’s going to be a loss for the community if they’re unable to rebuild.”

Accessing enough water to fully extinguish the blaze proved a challenge, Levenson highlighted.

“The amount of water we were requiring was more than the main could supply,” he said. “We notified the water company. They did what they could to pump up the pressure. You can only give so much.”

In a social media post on Friday, Hingham Select Board member Bill Ramsey stated the fire department “performed heroically in fighting a large fire under challenging conditions.”

“I am thankful there were no reported injuries or loss of life,” he added.

The complex was founded over 25 years ago to “provide our community with a place to play, learn, and celebrate our love of sports,” according to the center’s website.

“We are a fully-equipped sports center with a mission to develop well-rounded athletes in an environment that’s friendly, laid-back, and enjoyable for all,” it states. “Our goal is to give our players a safe space to grow and flourish in their sport while promoting health, development, and confidence.”

The State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause. The center had closed for the night before the blaze tore through.

HINGHAM, Mass. —

A popular South Shore sports complex is likely a total loss and will have to be torn down after a four-alarm fire overnight, according to Hingham, Massachusetts, fire officials.

The alarms at South Shore Sports Center went off just after 11 p.m., and flames were shooting from the entire roofline when firefighters arrived. Crews found heavy fire in the second-floor kitchen area.

"The building is probably a total loss," said Hingham Deputy Fire Chief David Levenson.

The damage inside is substantial, according to fire officials. At daybreak, crews were putting out hotspots. There were no injuries to firefighters.

"This has been around for 25 years or more. Soccer, basketball, baseball, everything around here. It's going to be a loss for the community if they're not able to rebuild," he said.

Parents came to the scene Friday morning.

"I'm pretty upset right now. I'm not going to cry on-air, but I'm close to that point, and my daughters, I know, would be devastated, like many others," said Sean Cummings.

"I have two boys, and they're winter babies, and we had their birthday parties here every year. So, it's tough. Since they were little. So, the second I saw it this morning on social media, I had to come by and see if it was real," said Leeandria Mannion.

The South Shore Baseball Club, which operates from the facility, faces immediate challenges due to the fire, including the loss of baseball equipment stored inside.

"We'll get equipment somewhere. I mean, there's equipment in there that if we can get in there and get it, we're fine, but if the number of people that have called or texted me this morning, " said Frank Niles from the club. "Baseball will go on. We'll have equipment by Monday, somehow."

The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating. While the cause of the fire remains unclear, firefighters have identified the heaviest fire in the office, dining room and kitchen area, which may help pinpoint the origin.

The South Shore Sports Center, a popular complex for the community in Hingham, Massachusetts, was destroyed in a fire overnight.

Flames broke out in the facility on Recreation Park Drive just after 11 p.m. Thursday and quickly tore through the roof.

Firefighters arrived within five minutes off the first alarm and they found heavy flames in the office, kitchen and dining area. They spent hours trying to save the building, but Hingham Deputy Fire Chief David Levenson said the facility is a total loss.

The sports complex is well known on the South Shore for its sports leagues and birthday parties.

"Everything went on here"

"It's been around for 25 years or more (for) soccer, basketball, baseball. Everything went on here. It's going to be a loss for the community if they're unable to rebuild," Levenson told reporters Friday.

The building is so damaged investigators can't get inside yet to find out where and how the fire started. Firefighters had trouble getting water to douse the flames.

"We're in sort of a not a main road, so the water mains are generally a little bit smaller and the amount of water we were requiring was more than the main could supply. We notified the water company. They did what they could to pump up the pressure. You can only give so much," the deputy chief said.

Levenson said the next step will be the demolition of the complex.

"It had so many memories"

"It's just sad," said Leeandria Mannion, who's lived in Hingham for 25 years. She has two sons and they had their birthday parties at the center every year. "That's why I just felt I needed to come down here just to see because it had so many memories. Yeah, it's tough."

The South Shore Sports Center is family owned and operated, according to its website, and provides the community "with a place to play, learn, and celebrate our love of sports."

Sean Cummings, a father from Braintree, came to see the damage for himself.

"It's quite devastating. This place has meant a lot to this entire community. My daughters have been playing here for over seven years, soccer and basketball. This is going to be a pretty impactful loss for the community," he said. "Parents will bring (their children) here, not only to grow as an athlete, but to grow as a person and be more active in their community."

Frank Niles is the President of the South Shore Baseball Club, which uses the facility for equipment storage and winter practices.

"There's a lot of equipment in the building that we can't get at right now. Hopefully we can or else we've got to come up with equipment to entertain 100 kids or so," he said.

Niles said support from the community has been immediate and overwhelming.

"The number of people that have called or texted me this morning... baseball will go on," he said.

Penny Kmitt

Penny Kmitt is a reporter for WBZ-TV's morning news. She joined the station in December 2023 from CBS-affiliate WTKR in Norfolk, Virginia.

A fire tore through a sports complex in Hingham, Massachusetts, overnight, causing extensive damage.

Hingham fire officials tell NBC10 Boston that the South Shore Sports Center at 55 Recreation Park Drive will likely have to be torn down due to the extent of the damage.

The initial call came in around 11 p.m. Wednesday and crews arrived on scene to find heavy fire. No one was inside at the time; management had just locked up when flames began to shoot out of the building.

Deputy Fire Chief David Levenson said this was a difficult blaze to battle because of all of the flammable material inside, noting there was plenty of stuff inside "to help" the fire along. Crews also had trouble with the fire hydrants.

"The building is probably a total loss," Levenson said.

The complex confirmed Friday night that it was destroyed, but noted that the Select Soccer Club would continue operations uninterrupted, training at different locations.

"Our mission to positively impact lives through sport does not live in bricks and mortar — it lives in the spirit of our community," Liz Lima, leader of Select and operator of South Shore Sports Center, said in a statement. "We are devastated, but we are not defeated. We will rebuild, stronger than ever."

The organization added that no staff or patrons were present when the fire broke out.

The damage to the structure is so extensive that at one point fire officials said it was too dangerous to go inside and extinguish the flames from the building's interior.

"There's still some fire up there we just can't get to because the building is unsafe to put firefighters in," Deputy Fire Chief Louis Lachance said.

It appears the fire started in the kitchen area, but the cause of the fire is still being determined. There were no injuries.

The building will probably be demolished, Lachance added.

This comes at the height of summer programming and is devastating for the community. For 25 years, the South Shore center has been a fixture in town, housing sports games, programs, camps, birthdays and special events.

"It's just sad," said Leeandria Mannion. "It's just sad...Just the birthday parties and the fun and the laughter with the kids. They would have such a great time.”

"I'm pretty upset right now. Not gonna cry, but I'm close to that point," said Sean Cummings, whose children use the facility. "They aren't just trying to make you an excellent soccer player, or if you are playing another sport. They want you to be a great person, they want you to be a community leader, and that's what they really focus on. They have sessions outside of sports that just focus on the education aspect of soccer and life."

Cummings added that his daughters would probably be devastated. They do strength and conditioning programs that he was going to bring his girls to starting July 7, which is also when the South Shore Baseball Club was set to begin their trainings, batting practice and youth leagues.

“There’s equipment in there that if we can get in and get it, we’re fine," said Frank Niles, the owner and president of the South Shore Baseball Club. "But with the number of people that called or texted me this morning we’ll get — baseball will go on.”

Lachance says he is going to be apart of any rebuild efforts that the sports center needs to make.

NBC10 Boston reached out to the owner but was told they do not wish to make a comment at this time.

DINING

The Patriot Ledger

This is the last weekend for the Boathouse Bistro at the Hingham Shipyard as it prepares to reopen at the Nantasket Beach Resort in Hull.

The Hingham location's final day will be this coming Tuesday, June 24, according to a post to the bistro's Facebook page.

"Come visit us this weekend and help send off this chapter the right way with great food, cold drinks on the patio and familiar faces," the post said.

The North End–inspired eatery opened in Hingham in 2015, and owners Steve and Tinka McCauley have said that moving into the ocean-view space formerly occupied by Shoreline Kitchen & Bar will allow them to expand both the menu and the services they can offer.

Highlights of the new location include a patio, a new bar and a wood-fired pizza oven.

While an opening date has not been announced, the post said it would not be too far off.

"A new date is coming soon, and we promise it’s worth the wait," the post said.

The soon-empty space at 19 Shipyard Drive will not remain so for long.

Cohasset-based Salty Days Fish Co. is expected to open a full-service restaurant in the space by fall, according to the Shipyard’s owners.

Salty Days originally operated as a seafood market in downtown Hingham before putting their focus and energy on the restaurant they opened in Cohasset in 2022.