Nyah Marshall, Eric Conklin
nj.com
(TNS)
A yacht being refueled at a Wildwood marina on Thursday afternoon was heavily damaged in a blaze.
The fire broke out on a 40-foot yacht at the Schooner Island Marina, according to on-scene reports. It remains under investigation, first responders said.
An eyewitness said the yacht was refueling at the time the fire started. The McKee Group, a Pennsylvania-based developer that owns the marina, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Billowing clouds of smoke were still visible around 2 p.m. as police and fire officials responded to the incident. According to local police at the scene, New Jersey State Police are handling the investigation.
Schooner Island Marina, where visitors can find restaurants and fishing excursions, was filled with patrons watching from afar Thursday afternoon.
Susquehanna Avenue was blocked off near the marina, detouring traffic around emergency fire trucks and ambulances. Firehoses snaked through the marina’s parking lot, creating an obstacle for bystanders.
Paul Daiber, who stores his boat at the marina, was fishing at the end of the deck opposite from where the yacht that caught fire was moored.
In 25 years of keeping his vessel there, this was the first time he’s witnessed a boat explosion.
“It’s scary,” Daiber, 56, said while sitting on a pick truck hatch about 200 yards from the emergency scene.
Daiber described the explosion as a powerful thud and turned around to see the boat on fire. Debris from the vessel were sent into the air and onto nearby docks, Daiber said.
Meanwhile, bystanders raced to find fire extinguishers. Once firefighters arrived, crews tried dousing the blaze that turned into an inferno that could be seen from across the marina, he said.
Blocks away, beach goers snapped photos of plumes that towered into the sky and were pushed by winds.
“It just progressively got worse and worse until it erupted in flames,” Daiber said.
No further information from officials has been released at this time.
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The City of Wildwood Fire Department made the following Facebook post Thursday, Aug. 22:
This afternoon at approximately 12:39 hours, Squad Co. 3 (B Platoon), North Wildwood Fire Department Ladder Co. 2, and the Erma Volunteer Fire Company Station 62 were dispatched to Schooner Island Marina located at 5100 Lake Rd. for the report of a fire at the fuel dock.
Upon arrival, firefighters found an approximately 42-foot pleasure vessel heavily involved in fire that was moored to the fuel dock. The alarm was upgraded to a full first alarm assignment, which, recalls off-duty firefighters and brings additional resources from Wildwood Crest Volunteer Fire, RIO GRANDE FIRE COMPANY and Stone Harbor Volunteer Fire Company #1 Squad Co. 3 began an aggressive attack of the fire. Fire Boats also responded from North Wildwood FD and Stone Harbor FD. The fire extended to the dock itself as well as a small shed structure on the dock.
The vessel involved eventually sank due to the large amount of water being used to extinguish the fire. There was a subsequent fuel fire on the water that was contained utilizing foam. The fire was placed under control in about 40 minutes. A second alarm assignment was transmitted for additional manpower to rotate operating firefighting crews, bringing the Villas Volunteer Fire Department to the scene. Middle Township Ambulance Corps provided rehab to firefighters operating at the incident.
The City of Wildwood Police Department, Lower Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau, United States Coast Guard, and Sea Tow Cape May all assisted at the incident as well.
There were four employees of the marina that were evaluated on the scene for smoke inhalation by Wildwood Crest Ems. They all refused transport to the hospital. The fire remains under investigation by the Cape May County Fire Marshal’s Office. Fire Department units operated on the scene for approximately 3.5 hours.
