MIAMI (WSVN) - The U.S. Coast Guard and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue are working to contain and clean up the pollution from singer Marc Anthony’s yacht after it caught fire and capsized in Watson Island Wednesday night.
Anthony wasn’t on board the yacht at the time of the fire, but two crew members were. They managed to evacuate the vessel before it capsized.
The 120-foot vessel, named Andiamo, was docked along the MacArthur Causeway in the Island Gardens Marina when firefighters responded to fire and smoke billowing from the upper decks.
Ata Bayrakrtar, whose family owns the marina, said, “It’s sad, and honestly for us, as the marina, and for the boat themselves.”
The federal government has committed $300,000 from a special fund for oil spills to help the Coast Guard clean up the pollution the fire had caused.
7SkyForce HD flew over the scene where the Andiamo, which has since been declared a total loss, could be seen resting on its side and is charred from the flames.
The vessel is also surrounded by a yellow border to contain the pollution from the yacht’s diesel fuel. The yacht is said to hold more than 10,000 gallons of the propellant.
According to firefighters, containing the pollution was a challenge.
“We noticed the amount of fire and heavy black smoke, realizing this was gonna be a significant challenge for fighting with just land crews,” City of Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said. “The boat is three-fourths submerged underwater right now. The next phase is to get that boat uprighted, get it dry-docked, so that investigators can conduct the investigation.”
No serious injuries were reported from the fire.
The National Transportation Safety Board will be conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
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