MIAMI (WSVN) - Four boats at a marina in Miami caught fire following what a witness said was a blast, Tuesday.
Cellphone video sent in by a 7News viewer showed a 24-foot boat, called Capt. Jack’s, engulfed in flames at C & F Marine, located at Northwest 12th Street and 22nd Avenue. The video also showed dark smoke billowing into the overcast sky.
According to City of Miami Fire Rescue, Capt. Jack’s and a dry docked, 50-foot sightseeing boat were destroyed by the flames. Two other vessels also sustained damage.
7News cameras captured firefighters working to extinguish the blaze that sparked on a waterway that feeds out to the Miami River.
Witnesses shared images of the flames on social media.
One witness said he saw an explosion beforehand. “I see like a big explosion, like something big,” he said.
“I heard something go ‘boom!’ and I start to smell it,” said witness William Jackson. “When I come outside, all this is going on. A guy said he was on his boat, working on his boat, and the boat exploded, but he didn’t get hurt.”
7News cameras captured the charred, partially submerged remains of Capt. Jack’s and the dry-docked sightseeing boat.
“The flames, the smoke, if it wasn’t for the fire department, man, things would have been a disaster around here,” said Jackson.
The owner of Capt. Jack’s and another person were on board when the fire broke out, but no one was injured.
Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said putting out the flames was a challenge. “This was a pretty intense fire here to try to battle with the amount of equipment that was surrounding the boat,” he said. “We had to use foam to actually bring this fire under control. A minimal amount of water was used in the surrounding areas.”
There was so much smoke that, officials said, area residents initially thought a house was on fire.
“This is a hell of a way to start the new year,” said Jackson. “Thank God that nobody got hurt.”
Tuesday afternoon, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials were at the scene of the fire. It remains under investigation.
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