FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Firefighters have extinguished a boat fire in Fort Lauderdale.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue units responded to the scene along the 1500 block of Southwest Fifth Court, just before 7 a.m., Wednesday.
7SkyForce hovered over the scene where smoke could be seen billowing out of the vessel.
“You could see the flames inside the windows,” said a nearby resident who asked to not be identified.
The resident said he was made aware of the fire after his dog started barking.
“When I let him out, I saw the boat on fire across the canal so I called 911, reported the fire,” he said. “Firefighters showed up. They were really awesome.”
Officials said the vessel is a 58-foot sportfishing boat.
The fire appears to have started in the midsection of the boat.
Early indications suggest this was an electrical fire.
The owner of the boat lives on board and, according to the fire chief, had left shortly before the fire ignited.
“There was a gentleman who was on it earlier this morning and had gotten off the boat. He said that just before he left he had put the battery charger on, and where we’re seeing the main body of the fire was in that general area,” said Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan.
No injuries were reported.
“It took over 30 firefighters, a little over an hour for us to get the fire out,” said Gollan. “A fire like this is really difficult. It’s a lot different than a house fire. You know, a house fire you don’t have to worry about where the water goes. In a boat fire, our concern is with all of that weight and water that we’re putting on the boat, the boat could possibly sink with those firefighters on the boat.”
The resident nearby said he was concerned for everyone involved. He said he was worried the boat might explode.
“Getting the family inside and out of the way is what was my first concern,” he said.
What remained of the vessel has since been towed away from the scene.
Investigators believe the cause of the fire was electrical.
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