Eyewitnesseshave informed Dockwalk that the26-meter M/Y Positive Energy caughtfire at Yacht Haven Grande Marina in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, aroundlunchtime today, Tuesday, March 15.
While no wordis out yet on how the incident occurred, eyewitness Zach Gallagher says, “[The]first [fire]fighting efforts [came] from multiple nearby vessels, the cruiseships’ firefighting teams, and the St. Thomas Fire Department. The vessel waseventually towed out of the marina to burn itself out. She is currently sittingon the west end off the marina close to shore where firefighters are stillfighting it via ashore.”
Accordingto a statement from IGY, “Earlier today, a fire occurred on a vessel at TheYacht Haven Grande Marina. All parties are believed to be safe with no injuriesreported. The marina crew and security team responded immediately alongsideemergency services. Due to the nature of the fire, it could not beextinguished. To ensure the safety of neighboring vessels and their crews, theU.S. Coast Guard relocated the vessel to a safe location where authoritiescontinue to manage and contain the incident.
For the rapidresponse and support, Yacht Haven Grande and IGY Marinas would like tosincerely thank all the members of its staff, the WICO security team, VirginIslands Fire Department, Virgin Islands Police Department, and members ofresponding teams, including; first responders from the cruise lines, SeaTow, theU.S. Coast Guard, and additional various agencies.
As of 6:00 p.m. local time, the fire has been completely contained. The fire department is continuing to spread water on the areas still smoldering. The vessel has been secured and containment measures are in place around the vessel to address potential contaminants entering the water. Again, there are no reported injuries as a result of the incident.”
View a video of the fire at http://youtu.be/eorYYNPOVE4.
All photos below, taken by Zach Gallagher, show the progressionof the fire.