DANIA BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A boat fire at the Dania Beach Marina displaced two people who lived on board the vessel.
Broward Sheriff’s Fire Rescue was called to the scene of the blaze along 151 North Beach Rd., at around 4:30 a.m., Wednesday.
According to officials, upon arrival, crews saw heavy flames coming from a docked 40 foot vessel.
The two people who lived on the boat said they were woken up by their neighbors who saw the boat catching on fire. Carolyn Grasso, her husband and their dog were able to get.
“We got out of the boat just in time,” said boat owner Carolyn Grasso. “One more minute and we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“This was our dream,” Grasso added. “We both worked all our lives to have our dream, and it is what it is. God will provide.”
Grasso’s neighbor, Greg Heath, ran over to the boat to make them aware of the fire. He said he heard a pop early Wednesday morning, and then within a minute, he said the whole boat was on fire.
“I started pounding on the door,” Heath said. “When we got out, we got them off the dock — off the back of the boat and onto the dock and started going down the dock. It was within a minute the whole boat was engulfed.”
They said their boat was their permanent residence. However, they were not completely displaced as they do own another residence in the area.
The boat has been deemed a total loss. “We’re not hurt, but I did lose everything I own,” said Grasso. “That’s my house, and I just have the clothes that’s on my back.”
Neighboring vessels were evacuated out of fear that they would also catch on fire. “We have secured a county bus that will house these folks until they can get back onto their vessels,” said Broward Sheriff’s Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Kane.
No injuries were reported.
The boat has since been towed away.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The family has started a GoFundMe to find a new home. If you’d like to help, go here.
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