The 100-foot M/Y La Dolce Vita caught fire on March 16 near Marquesas Keys, Florida, about 20 miles west of Key West, the U.S. Coast Guard reports. There were six people aboard at the time and they were evacuated safely on the yacht’s tender and escorted to shore by a Station Key West rescue crew. The fire reportedly started on the starboard generator, USCG reports.
Her captain radioed Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders reporting the fire. As of March 18, the Coast Guard was overseeing diesel spill clean-up operations after the fire, and the vessel’s owner is taking responsibility to contain and remove the spill.
On March 17, a commercial salvage crew deployed a boom to contain a visible light sheen. La Dolce Vita was reportedly carrying nearly 4,500 gallons of diesel, but it’s unknown how much was spilled, the release states. Photos shared by the USCG show the yacht destroyed by the flames and partially submerged.
“Right now, the Coast Guard’s main concern is the environmental threat,” said Chief Petty Officer Thomas Goggans, Coast Guard Sector Key West incident management supervisor, in the USCG press release. “The location of the fuel spill is within a National Marine Sanctuary and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Photos: Courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard District 7