ROCKLAND — A lock on a gate was cut so emergency responders could access the property. A horizontal ladder was employed to bridge an estimated three-foot gap beyond the edge of a paved pier. And yet, somehow a fire had erupted in a shack on top of an unused barge on Dragon Products property.

A passing Rockland police officer was one of several people in the area to contact Knox Regional Communications Center in the moments prior to 12:39 p.m., Friday, Dec. 30, regarding flames visible in a small deck-top structure once used by crane operators. Now, the Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the sunny midday incident, and Rockland Police are questioning how anyone could have accessed the tall, stairless vessel.

Up until six months ago, this barge – known as a spacer barge – was in operation. Its purpose was to act as an intermediary, connecting a smaller barge to the utilities of the land and using the crane to load and unload materials. The shed on top – which doesn’t have an official name – was the work station of the crane operator. For twelve hour shifts, that operator did little else other than maneuver that crane. So roosted were those operators that they quickly made themselves at home, outfitting their little world with a microwave and other conveniences.

But that was six months ago. Now, a nearby building is empty, its windows smashed. Graffiti brandishes an old vehicle. Nearby boulders wear the spray paint of trespassers.

And as of today, a shack still stands, yet its painted walls have melted.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com