Video: Fire on board 27m Princess yacht in Fort Lauderdale
A fire has broken out on a luxury yacht moored in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the United States.
Fire crews were reportedly called to the scene near Las Olas Boulevard on Wednesday morning (8 March 2023). After arriving, they were faced with heavy smoke and flames coming from the top deck of the 27-metre Princess motor yacht, ironically named Hot Pursuit.
Firefighters brought the flames under control and managed to keep the majority of the damage confined to the upper decks.
Local outlet 7News reports that dispatchers received multiple calls reporting the blaze that, officials said, ignited due to an electrical problem.
“We saw smoke mostly,” eyewitness Vincent Ventura told 7News. “It looked like it just caught on fire. When we called the fire department, we ran over, and by the time we got over there, it grew. We did our best to put it out.”
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue chief Garret Pingol adds: “As [fire crews] came down the street, they saw a large cloud of smoke, and once they made an investigation in the back, they found an approximately 80-foot luxury vessel with fire on the top deck.
“[The fire created] heavy smoke, and crews put hose lines into action. The crews made quick access to the back before, what we call a deck stretch or a dock stretch, which pulls lines quickly down off of the first arriving fire apparatus and made a quick knockdown from the outside and then boarded the vessel.”
No injuries were reported, although one person was treated for smoke inhalation. An investigation into the cause of the fire is now ongoing.
In an unrelated incident this week, around 150 boats were damaged in a fire that broke out in a Muskegon marina in the US state of Michigan. The cost of the damage is estimated at $1m.
The post Video: Fire on board 27m Princess yacht in Fort Lauderdale appeared first on Marine Industry News.