The early morning July 9, 2022 fire started when a live-in bellboy at the Veranda House extinguished a cigarette on the wooden porch of a supposedly smoke-free hotel in Nantucket town. The fire quickly grew into an inferno that required mutual aid from the Cape and took 12 hours to put out. The fire quickly spread to two abutting properties occupied by four year round residents who escaped unburned but suffered severe emotional distress and a variety of uninsured economic damages as a result. The jury trial lasted two weeks.
On the morning of July 9, 2022, a devastating fire broke out at the historic Veranda House hotel in downtown Nantucket after a hotel employee improperly disposed of a lit cigarette on a wooden porch. The blaze rapidly grew into a massive inferno, ultimately destroying the historic inn, requiring mutual aid from fire departments across Cape Cod, and taking approximately 12 hours to extinguish. Investigators later determined that the fire originated from the improper disposal of smoking materials beneath the hotel's front porch.
The fire spread beyond the hotel, causing catastrophic damage to neighboring residential properties. Four year-round Nantucket residents were forced to flee their homes. Although they escaped without physical burns, they endured profound emotional trauma, displacement from their homes, and significant uninsured financial losses as they struggled to rebuild their lives.
Following a two-week jury trial, the jury recognized the lasting impact the fire had on these families and awarded $4.6 million in damages. The verdict provided long-overdue justice for homeowners whose lives were forever changed by a preventable tragedy.
At Keches Law Group, we are proud to stand beside individuals and families facing unimaginable loss, holding negligent parties accountable and fighting to secure the justice and compensation our clients deserve.
