A fishing boat burns in Galilee, R.I., Friday, July 10, 2015. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
The Coast Guard and local responders are investigating suspicious boat fires in Galilee, Rhode Island.
Coast Guard pollution specialists from the 1st Coast Guard District received a report of a fishing vessel on fire at the Galilee State Pier at 3 a.m. Friday.
Coast Guard Station Point Judith crewmembers and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management responders arrived on scene and verified that three fishing vessels were involved in two separate fires along the town’s waterfront.
The fishing vessels Gator and Blue Thunder were heavily damaged and Elizabeth Victoria sank at the pier.
Containment boom and absorbent materials were deployed around the sunken Elizabeth Victoria.
The fires are under investigation and cleanup operations are on-going.
“The Narragansett Fire Department was actively fighting the fires when we arrived on scene,” said Cmdr. Frank DelRosso, a response coordinator at Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England. “We are working with our partners and the owners of the vessels to mitigate the threat of pollution from entering the waterway.”
Every year, the Coast Guard assists or saves $119 million worth of property.