Department of Ecology: Moses Lake waters safe after boat fire
Richard Byrd/Columbia Basin Herald The containment boom, seen here is orange, used by the Moses Lake Fire Department, kept any materials from drifting into the lake after Thursday afternoon's boat fire in Moses Lake.
MOSES LAKE — A Washington Department of Ecology (DOE) spokesperson said Thursday’s boat fire on Moses Lake did not result in any adverse environmental impacts.
The fire broke out shortly after noon aboard a recreational boat underneath the Interstate 90 bridge. The boat was a complete loss and not salvageable. There were no injuries, as people on board were brought to safety by other boaters.
DOE spokesperson Joy Redfield-Wilder said somewhere between 4 to 6 quarts of oil leaked out of the boat and it is believed that any gasoline on the vessel burned up in the fire. The DOE had two spill responders, one on Thursday and one on Friday, go to the scene to assess the situation and aid the MLFD in monitoring/addressing the spill.
A containment boom, which is a temporary floating barrier used to contain an area after an oil spill, was deployed by the MLFD after the boat was towed to shore to keep any materials from drifting out into the lake.
“It (the boom) is holding the residual sheen and they put out these absorbent pads that are sort of like diapers that collect the oil,” Redfield-Wilder explained.
Redfield-Wilder said there is no risk the public.
Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.