Common Man Inn sustains minor damage in sign fire, no injuries

PLYMOUTH — A fire at Common Man Inn & Spa Thursday night is believed to be electrical in nature, according to leaders of the departments which fought the blaze. There were no injuries.

The fire, which occurred on the exterior of the building atop the restaurant and inn’s large neon sign, was visible for miles.

“We were dispatched for a building fire. Their big sign, the big sign on the side of the building that you can see from the interstate, was on fire,” said Kevin Pierce, Plymouth fire chief, whose department responded at 8:53 p.m. on Aug. 7. “There was very minimal damage.”

The building was evacuated out of an abundance of caution, because smoke had made its way inside via air vents.

“We had to clear the building, some of the smoke got sucked in through the vents,” Pierce said. The building was cleared and guests were allowed to return a short time later.

"We credit our staff for their quick actions in calling for assistance and getting all guests safely evacuated," said Vincent Vella, chief executive officer of The Common Man family of businesses. "Many thanks to first responders for arriving so quickly and to our guests for their patience while we made sure it was safe to return to the Inn.

“All 26 guests safely waited outside for about an hour before returning to their guest rooms. Innkeeper and General Manager Brandon Miller was quickly on the scene to make sure guests were taken care of.”

Business operations at the Common Man Inn & Spa have returned to normal, according to management in the restaurant.

For the fire department, it was a first.

“It was definitely unique, it’s not every day you can see a sign on fire,” Pierce said.