Fire Officials Say Barnacle Fire Could Have Been Much Worse

The owners of The Barnacle restaurant and several adjacent homes are lucky that a passerby noticed smoke coming from the business' rear porch early Monday morning, fire officials said. 

At 1:36 a.m., local police and fire units responded to the Front Street restaurant after someone out for a walk noticed smoke coming from the side of the building, Fire Capt. Michael Porter said.  

Local firefighters were able to confine the damage to a small area on the deck and prevented it from getting inside the building. 

"They were lucky that they guy was walking by when he was because it would've been a completely different story," Porter said. 

Although the cause of the fire remains under investigation, Porter said investigators are looking into whether the restaurant's cigarette bucket may have been to blame.

There were no reported injuries.

Marblehead Patch will post additional information as it becomes available.