Witnesses describe explosions as a yacht with fireworks on board goes up in flames in Marina del Rey. Lauren Coronado reports for Today in LA on Thursday Sept. 19, 2024.
Witnesses described powerful explosions as a large yacht with fireworks and unspent ammunition on board went up in flames Wednesday night in Marina del Rey.
Neighbors were worried the fire would jump to nearby boats after hearing loud explosions coming from the 100-foot vessel.
"I saw it fully engulfed in flames and like many of us living here heard an explosion and saw fireworks coming off it, and more flames and then walked down here and captured video of it," said Marina del Rey resident Lynn Rose.
In addition to the fireworks, an LA County Fire Captain told NBC4 that there was live ammunition on the vessel.
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"According to boat owner 1,000 rounds of unspent ammunition and fireworks onboard,'' the county fire department said in a statement Thursday morning.
The call came in at around 8:30 p.m. of a vessel burning at 2201 Basin A in Marina del Rey.
"It’s a delicate balance with putting the fire out and not sinking the boat, there are a lot of environmental hazards on the boat fuel oil what have you, and so we’re doing that delicate dance of putting the fire out but not sinking the vessel in the slip," said Capt. Pono Barnes, of lifeguard services with the LA County Fire Department.
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Fire officials say no one was on the yacht at the time of the fire and there were no injuries.
The fuel spill cleanup operation could take several days. It was not immediately clear when the boat will be removed from the water. An environmental hazard team was called to the site.
A United States Coast Guard Incident Management Team also responded to scene.
"The fire did not appear to damage any other vessels in the harbor,'' the USCG said in a statement Thursday morning. "The Coast Guard is working with Patriot Environmental Services and Clean Harbors organizations to contain
and recover the discharge from the yacht.
"The yacht's fuel capacity is reported to be 6,000 gallons. Crews from California Department of Fish and Wildlife's
Office of Spill Prevention and Response and Los Angeles County Sheriff's (Department) are also assisting in the efforts."
The Oiled Wildlife Care Network also was notified and remains on standby, according to the Coast Guard.
"No observations of oiled wildlife have been reported at this time," the Coast Guard said.
