TAMPA, Fla. – Thick plumes of smoke rose over the Westshore Yacht Club marina Wednesday morning as Tampa Fire Rescue crews worked to extinguish a blaze aboard a docked boat.
Emergency units were dispatched to the marina around 9:50 a.m. following reports of a vessel fire. Upon arrival, first responders encountered heavy smoke billowing from the area.
Fire Boat 19 was deployed to the scene, establishing a sustained water supply that allowed crews to attack the flames. While firefighters worked to suppress the blaze, additional units focused on containing the incident to protect nearby yachts from heat damage and smoke exposure.
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The intensity of the firefighting operations caused the vessel to take on water and eventually begin sinking. Rescue teams conducted a rapid search of the boat during the operation, confirming it was unmanned at the time.
The U.S. Coast Guard assisted local crews at the scene. While the fire has been brought under control, the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
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