M/PIFCD helps fight boat fire off Calusa Island
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
On Friday, May 1, at approximately 3:45 p.m., a boat caught fire near Jug Creek Marina in Bokeelia. According to Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District acting Capt. Scotty Darna, who was at Station 3 at the time, the fire was at Calusa Island.
“We had to radio in and get the next incoming engine, which would have been Station 1 to grab our boat and bring it,” Darna said.
Once the engine came, he said, they were picked up on Portobello Street, giving them more manpower on the boat.
“When we pulled out from the station, we could already see the black column of smoke coming up,” Darna said, explaining that fiberglass, which most boats are made of, is a particularly dirty burning substance, explaining that it exudes heavy black smoke.
Darna said the fire involved three boats, which he believes were all tied to one another. Once they burned, he said, all the ropes burned off leaving them to drift away from one another toward the mangroves. This started a small brush fire, he said, which the firefighters were able to put out almost immediately.
“Once we got there, there were a couple of other boats that arrived on scene — Useppa, Boca Grande, Cape Coral Fire and a few law enforcement — FWC, sheriff — they were all on scene as well,” Darna said.
Although he said they got the fire out in approximately 10 minutes, it took quite bit of time to get it under control due to the size of the vessels.
“All the fiberglass kind of collapses on each other so it’s hard to get down into where the hot spots are. We call it mop up, when it’s just smoldering, and that took a long time,” Darna said.
He also said they were able to get protective boom around the area, which the Cape Coral Fire Department brought out, which is an absorbent material float for any fuels or chemicals which might leak out into the water.
There were no markings found on the boats or owners present on the scene, he said, adding that the original boat was possibly abandoned. The M/PIFCD has not yet found a cause for the fire.