Christiantown Fire Claims Life of Islander

The close-knit West Tisbury firefighting community was flooded with sadness this weekend when one of its own — former West Tisbury fire lieutenant Daniel Prowten — was found dead in his Christiantown home after it was destroyed by fire early Saturday morning in bitterly cold weather.

A neighbor called in the fire just after 5 a.m. Saturday; when firefighters arrived Mr. Prowten’s home was fully involved. Volunteer firefighters from every Island town responded to the scene and spent the next five hours battling the blaze in extremely difficult conditions; temperatures were the low teens with gusty winds.

Mr. Prowten’s body was found inside the home at 10 a.m.

Assistant West Tisbury fire chief John Early said the home was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, and it was too dangerous to search for anybody inside. Many of those who responded knew Mr. Prowten, who was a member of the fire department for more than 30 years. As they battled the blaze, they were aware he was likely inside, Mr. Early said.

“He served on the fire department for more than 30 years. He was a good man; and he was dedicated to the town [of West Tisbury] . . . it’s very sad for everyone,” he said.

Mr. Prowten was 63 and was a well-known builder.

A complete story about the fire will appear in the Friday Gazette.

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