LOWELL, Mich. — The Lowell Crew Team suffered a major blow Tuesday when fire destroyed all five of their boats used for competition.
The boats were stored in a fenced-in area on Lafayette Street near the Flat River. City Manager Mike Burns said that at around 2:20 p.m. a Lowell Light and Power transformer exploded and caught fire.
Burns said the flames quickly spread to the nearby boats. He described it as a total loss.
A home nearby was also damaged, and the intense flames melted the siding on the house's garage. Burns said as far as he knows, no one was hurt.
The transformer explosion did knock out power to several homes east of the Flat River. The cause remains under investigation.
The Lowell Crew Team is a club sport run by volunteer coaches and parents. The team's season was cancelled this year due to COVID-19.
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