Fire torches boat on Moses Lake
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Hearld Moses Lake Fire Department fire fighters put water to a recreational boat that caught fire shortly after noon near the dock at Blue Heron Park. Nearby boaters rescued the occupants and there were no injuries.
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake fire fighters tow a recreational boat that caught fire shortly after noon on Thursday near the dock at Blue Heron Park. The fire department brought the boat closer to the shore after letting it burn down in the middle of the lake to extinguish it with ground support. There were no injuries.
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Herald Boaters in the vicinity look on at a recreational boat that caught fire shortly after noon on Thursday near the dock at Blue Heron Park. Occupants were rescued and there were no injuries. Cause has yet to be determined.
MOSES LAKE — A recreational boat is a complete loss following a fire on Moses Lake on Thursday.
The fire broke out on the recreational boat underneath the Interstate 90 bridge in Moses Lake near Blue Heron Park shortly after noon. Moses Lake Fire Department Chief Brett Bastian said initially it appears the boat was not traveling at a high rate of speed when the fire broke out.
Another boater was able to pickup the occupants of the boat and bring them safely to shore. The boat started drifting off further down the lake and the MLSD initially sent out a couple of firefighters on the department’s search and rescue skiff to knock down the large flames with an extinguisher, as there was a fear of toxins going into the lake.
When that didn’t work firefighters towed the boat back to shore, where they were able to use fire hoses to stomp out the flames. When the boat was near the shore at Blue Heron Park the MLFD used what Bastian called a “containment boom,” which is a temporary floating barrier used by fire departments to contain an area after an oil spill.
A tow truck was called to extract the boat from the water, but the vessel was a complete loss and not salvageable. There was no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.