50-foot yachts destroyed in 2-alarm fire at Edmonds Marina

From KOMO news:
31 December 2011

EDMONDS, Wash. - Two 50-foot motor yachts were destroyed in a spectacular two-alarm fire at the Edmonds Marina early Saturday morning.

Fire crews responded to the scene just before 4 a.m. and found towering flames spewing from the two boats, lighting up the early morning sky.

The fire was called in by a janitor working in a nearby business.

"Two boats moored next to each other were engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived and flames were shooting 50 feet in the air," said Leslie Hynes of Snohomish County Fire District 1.

No one was aboard the burning boats, but a man and a woman staying overnight in another boat moored at the same dock had to be rescued by firefighters, Hynes said.

She said the burning boats were moored in the first two slips of the dock, and the flames cut off the couple's access to the shore.

"They were stuck at the far end of the dock in the smoke until they were rescued by the fire department boat," Hynes said.

The man and woman were taken to Swedish-Edmonds Hospital, where they were both treated for minor smoke inhalation and released a few hours later.

Firefighters from Lynnwood and Shoreline responded to assist Fire District 1. At the peak of the fire, about 40 firefighters were on the scene.

"The docks were very icy and slippery, which was a challenge for firefighters as they worked to put out the fire," Hynes said. "They used an overhead water stream from a ladder truck and firefighting foam to smother the flames."

It took firefighters about 30 minutes to get the fire under control, but crews continued to battle hot spots for about an hour as the boats smoldered and fuel ignited. One of the boats sank as the firefighting effort continued.

Damage to both yachts and the dock is expected to total more than $600,000.

Fire investigators are working to determine how the fire started. "The boat where the fire started sank and will have to be raised. Investigators do not expect to have a cause today," Hynes said.

As firefighters were putting out hot spots, crews from the Port of Edmonds set up containment booms. The state Department of Ecology is on the scene working to control and prevent environmental damage.

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Every year, an estimated 4,000 pleasure vessels fall victim to either fire or explosion.

Of this number approximately 400 are either a total loss or are extremely costly to rebuild.

Blaze Hits 8 Boats on Lake Norman

... According to several reports, eight boats were involved in the fire. Four boats suffered major damage, according to fire officials at the scene. There are several reports that one boat sank. Fire investigators say they will question boat owners, in an effort to determine how the blaze might have started. One possibility being mentioned this morning is that a boat owner might have left a heater operating on a craft overnight.

Source: Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC)

 

Portable Electric Heater identified as heat source in a Multi-boat Fire

A fire that started by a portable electric heater on a boat docked in a covered marina spread to several other boats, fanned by high winds that impeded fire ground operations. The boats were moored at a wooden dock that had a wood frame and a metal roof overhang. The boat on which the fire started was at the end of a dock, several slips of which were occupied by other boats. The marina had no detection or sprinkler system and was closed for the night when the fire broke out.

Although a portable heater was identified as the heat source for the unintentional fire, the exact cause and the ignition sequence was unknown, The flames spread to the boat's interior and from there, to the roof overhang and several other boats before firefighters arrived.

Cautionary Tales from Other Boat Owners:

"My next door neighbor put a small electric space heater on his boat (an Islander 32) and set it to its lowest setting. As the weather got colder the heater cycled on-off until the extension cord melted and set the boat on fire. The fire gutted the entire inside of the boat until another neighbor saw the smoke and put the fire out. The boat was a total loss. It was 5 feet from my boat in the next slip. My neighbor scares me."
--Mike

"I used to use a light bulb in the winter until the cheapo housing slipped and the whole light came to rest on my holding tank. It was kind of scary to see the burnt marks in the ABS where the plastic had smoldered. I have no idea why the boat did not burn down. The plastic had obviously burned in places. You could not pay me to put a light bulb in my engine compartment now. They were not made for boats and are just too risky."
--Brett