Last Saturday, two people were killed and three people were injured by a blaze in Long Beach, California. All were over the age of 60. The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.
According to Long Beach Fire Capt. Jake Heflin, firefighters arrived at the scene at 5:17 pm with dispatched fire engines and marine safety rescue boats. Bystanders were trying to put out the fire and told the rescuers the boat was refueling when it suddenly exploded.
The firefighters knocked “a good portion of the fire out,” said Heflin, but additional county firefighters were called to ensure the flames did not spread through wind-driven embers that might land on other boats or the fueling dock.
“You know there are the other two on board, you are hearing yelling, you think you are hearing screaming — it was just a poor, sad situation,” Valdes said.
The fire sent a huge plume of smoke that was visible for miles, while the firefighters attacked the blaze from the ground.
“It was so loud, it shook us. It went up so fast — you are talking ten, fifteen seconds and it was fully engulfed,” Cory Valdes, who was on another boat nearby during the explosion of the ship.
Around the damaged vessel, booms, which are beams used to block up a harbor, were placed to avoid environmental damage from possible fuel or oil leaks. However, as the rescue workers moved the vessel to an isolation dock, the boat began to sink and is now nearly submerged. Long Beach officers hope to call on a salvage business to remove the wreckage from the water, Helfin said.
He continued, “no firefighters were injured but they will be offered mental health services if needed to process any trauma from the experience.”
Sources:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-05/boat-fire-kills-two-and-injures-three-in-long-beach
https://apnews.com/article/boat-explosion-long-beach-california-47799afad4f3e002894c0d1ec19a1640
According to Long Beach Fire Capt. Jake Heflin, firefighters arrived at the scene at 5:17 pm with dispatched fire engines and marine safety rescue boats. Bystanders were trying to put out the fire and told the rescuers the boat was refueling when it suddenly exploded.
The firefighters knocked “a good portion of the fire out,” said Heflin, but additional county firefighters were called to ensure the flames did not spread through wind-driven embers that might land on other boats or the fueling dock.
“You know there are the other two on board, you are hearing yelling, you think you are hearing screaming — it was just a poor, sad situation,” Valdes said.
The fire sent a huge plume of smoke that was visible for miles, while the firefighters attacked the blaze from the ground.
“It was so loud, it shook us. It went up so fast — you are talking ten, fifteen seconds and it was fully engulfed,” Cory Valdes, who was on another boat nearby during the explosion of the ship.
Around the damaged vessel, booms, which are beams used to block up a harbor, were placed to avoid environmental damage from possible fuel or oil leaks. However, as the rescue workers moved the vessel to an isolation dock, the boat began to sink and is now nearly submerged. Long Beach officers hope to call on a salvage business to remove the wreckage from the water, Helfin said.
He continued, “no firefighters were injured but they will be offered mental health services if needed to process any trauma from the experience.”
Sources:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-05/boat-fire-kills-two-and-injures-three-in-long-beach
https://apnews.com/article/boat-explosion-long-beach-california-47799afad4f3e002894c0d1ec19a1640