Two boats destroyed in fire at Roche Harbor Marina
View from the Roche Harbor Resort's live camera around 4:45 p.m.
Two powerboats were destoyed and a third was slightly damanged this afternoon, after one of the vessels caught fire at the Roche Harbor Resort and Marina.
No one was injured in the blaze and none of the boats’ owners were present when the fire started, said Robert Low, fire marshal for the San Juan County Fire Department.
All three vessels are about 40 feet in length. One of the badly damanged boats sunk at the dock and the other is barely afloat, Low said. Leaking fuel from the boats caused a significant sheen on the water.
“There is fuel floating all over,” Low said.
The damage to the docks at Roche Harbor was minimal, Low said.
The cause of the fire remains unkown, but there was an initial report that the blaze began in an engine room in one of the boats.
The fire was first reported about 2:30 this afternoon. The Friday Harbor Fire Department launched its fire boat to battle the blaze, while firefighters with the San Juan County Fire Department District 3 worked the flames from the docks. The Coast Guard and Vessel Assist also responded, creating a safety zone around the blaze. It took about an hour and half to put out the flames.
Low said it will take several days before an investigation of the fire is complete. There will be a significant amount of work needed to clean up the damange, including raising the sunken boat.
Roche Harbor is one of the most popular boating destinations in the San Juan Islands. The historic resort’s marina has 377 slips and is one of the busier places in the islands during the summer season.
Two big power boats burned,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,good start.
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