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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