A downtown Bangor business is closed until further notice after the building sustained water damage from the sprinkler system on Monday.
The Salty Brick Market at 35 Main St. announced in a Facebook post on Monday evening that the store is closed until further notice. The announcement came hours after a small fire in an apartment on the fourth floor of the building triggered the sprinkler system, causing damage to most of the property.
While the sprinkler system extinguished the fire before it could spread from the stovetop, the water caused damage in 11 of the 13 apartments in the building, all of which were occupied, according to Assistant Bangor Fire Chief Chandler Corriveau.
The water also poured down into the Salty Brick Market and caused damage, despite firefighters’ efforts to salvage merchandise. James Gallagher, owner of the Salty Brick Market, declined to comment on the extent of the damage or when the store may reopen on Tuesday.
The market opened in 2022 and offers grocery items, beer and wine, as well as a sandwich counter and salad bar. The store also offers a “hot bar” with rotating grab-and-go meal options.
The American Red Cross was assisting the building residents and the building and none of the tenants stayed in the building Monday night, Corriveau said.
Every resident who was displaced had somewhere safe to go Monday night and the American Red Cross gave tenants blankets, toiletries and other necessities, said Jennifer Costa, regional communications director for the American Red Cross.
The American Red Cross is now working with the city and the building owner to understand the scope of the damage. If the damage is extensive, the organization may open a shelter for the displaced residents.
The tenant who lives in the apartment where the fire began was not home at the time of the fire, Corriveau said. The cause of the fire was under investigation as of Monday evening.
