Several boats destroyed in Sunny Isles Beach fire, no injuries reported
Multiple boats were destroyed or damaged by fire early early Friday morning in Sunny Isles Beach.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said when crews arrived just after 5 a.m., they found a docked yacht fully engulfed in flames behind an apartment building at 400 Sunny Isles Boulevard. This is near the NE163 Street bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway and Oleta River State Park.
They said the fire had spread to two other boats docked nearby.
"The vessels are typically made out of fiberglass which is highly combustible and it quickly spread to the other vessels," MDFR Marine Services Bureau Chief Andy Alvarez said.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said they moved quickly to pull the boats away from the marina and single them out.
"We were able to secure the other ones and break those loose, which obviously saved all the other boats. If we would have done nothing, this entire marina would have been completely, every boat would have been completely charred," said Alvarez.
Massive response to battle boat fires
In all, MDFR said six large vessels were impacted, including one of which was almost 90-feet, two personal watercraft and a dingy.
More than 25 MDFR units fought flames, assisted by crews from Miami Fire Rescue, the U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife. They attacked the flames with water and foam, from the land and the water. The area near the dock was evacuated.
"We don't know which vessel was the origin vessel. We don't have that information yet. Obviously, this is very early on in the game and this is going to be a long drawn out investigation," Alvarez said.
Smoke from the fires, which was pushed inland on a southeast breeze, could be seen for miles.
By 7:30 a.m. the flames were under control.
No injuries were reported.
In the last few weeks, there have been several of boat fires.
On June 4, a fire broke out on a 50-foot docked at 2612 Whale Harbor Lane in Fort Lauderdale.
On May 28, there were two boat fires.
One was near Port Everglades cut. One person was rescued and treated for burn injuries.
The other was an explosion and fire on a 39-foot Sea Ray with 15 people on board. It happened as the boat was heading on the Intracoastal Waterway near Ft. Lauderdale after refueling. Eleven people were taken to the hospital, where one died.
