Three luxury yachts have been destroyed by fire and a fourth badly damaged at Australia’s The Spit marina in Mosman, Sydney.
Around 40 firefighters attended the marina alongside the NSW ports authority fire tug and took more than two hours to extinguish the blaze.
The blaze broke out early Friday at the marina which is a berthing hub for some of the city’s most expensive vessels with the fire rapidly spreading among the moored boats.
Four people were evacuated from and a woman was treated for smoke inhalation before being taken to hospital in a stable condition.
Exclusion zone around the marina
Authorities have deployed containment booms and established an exclusion zone around the marina as fuel from the damaged boats leaked into the harbour.
“We’ve had three large yachts destroyed by fire; they have been consumed, and they’re actually sunk.
“We have a fourth one that has suffered significant damage, that’ll have to be assessed, that is still floating,” said Fire & Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry.
We’ve had three large yachts destroyed by fire; they have been consumed, and they’re actually sunk.
Fire & Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry
He added: “We’re working with the Port Authority of NSW to get booms around to make sure that we capture all of that contamination.
“There is a lot of debris on the water and also to collect fuel and oil, which does float to the top, fortunately. And then, of course, investigations will commence by the police with fire rescue assisting.”
Investigations into the cause of the fire are underway however it is not being treated as suspicious. Authorities are also continuing to monitor the harbour for any further pollution from the sunken vessels.
The Spit marina is recommended by Superyacht Australia for vessels measuring 30m or longer.
Its facilities include more than 100 secure berths, including those designed specifically for superyachts.
