TWO-STORY HIGH FLAMES DESTROY TWO
BOATS IN FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
January
18, 2015
The
blaze started at approximately 6:50 a.m., and as fire crews from Fort
Lauderdale Fire and Rescue and the Dania Beach Fire Department rushed to the
scene, near State Road 84 and Southwest 30th Avenue, dozens of drivers on
Interstate 95 pulled over to snap pictures and take video of the fire with
flames that shot up at least two stories.
Richard
Lacelle, a Canadian on vacation, said he was walking nearby the marina when he
saw the flames and then heard a boom similar to an explosion.
“At
that time I couldn’t tell what had happened, but it was very scary,” Lacelle
said.
The
two ships that caught fire, a 75-foot Azimut and a 50-foot Sunseeker, were
connected by rope and to at least four other ships, said Timothy Heiser, Deputy
Fire Chief of Fort Lauderdale Fire and Rescue. When crews arrived, they cut the
rope and with the assistance of a tow boat and a fireboat, put distance between
the engulfed vessels, he said.
Firefighters
also worked to contain any leaks of fuel. The Sun Seeker was carrying 1,500
gallons of fuel that was later pumped out. Special floating booms were placed
around the scene for containment and the U.S. Coast Guard was traveling to the
scene to assist with that effort.
At
least 45 firefighters responded to the scene, as did the marina management and
the owners of the involved boats. The fire marshal also responded to the scene
but the investigation into what caused the fire was delayed by small flare-ups
almost four hours after the blaze started.
There
were no injuries and no estimate of the value of the boats.