Fire Tears Through Fishing Boat at Oceanside Harbor

OCEANSIDE, CA — A fire ripped through a boat at Oceanside Harbor early Thursday, but with the assistance of Harbor Police, crews were able to stop the spread of flames to neighboring vessels, an official with the Oceanside Fire Department said.

The blaze near the boat launch in the 200 block of S. Harbor Drive was reported just after midnight by several 911 callers, according to Oceanside fire Battalion Chief Greg deAvila.

The first of two engine crews arrived on scene 6 minutes later — at 12:12 a.m. — and reported flames visible from a distance.

"The 50-foot fishing vessel on fire was tied to a slip located at T-Dock, just south of the boat launch ramp area and well involved," deAvila said. "Fire department crews advanced hose lines down the dock to attack the fire and additional personnel were assigned to back-up the firefighting effort."

Oceanside Harbor police responded and crews used Harbor Rescue boat 1 to successfully protect adjacent boats from the flames.

Thirteen firefighters brought the fire under control within 8 minutes and contained it to the one boat.

"With concerns of possible occupants living on the vessel, firefighting crews completed an entire search and [the boat] was found vacant," deAvila said.

The owner of the boat was not at the scene; therefore, officials decided to withhold photos of the fire until the boat owner was properly notified.

As the fire was centered in near the navigation controls and away from the engine room, fuel runoff or any other environmental impacts were minimized and contained at the scene, according to the battalion chief.

The fire resulted in an estimated $100,000 worth of damages: $80,000 to the boat and $20,000 to personal contents.

"Damage was minimized as a result of the quick work of the first arriving fire personnel and harbor police," deAvila said.

An investigator with the Oceanside Fire Department determined the fire appeared to be electrical, but the exact cause was still being investigated. Oceanside Harbor police helped move the boat to a more convenient location in order to continue the investigation, deAvila said.

Image via Pixabay