No-one seriously hurt when boat erupts into flames at South Harbor Village Marina

OAK ISLAND, N.C. (WECT) - Fire and rescue crews responded to a boat fire at the South Harbor Village Marina just before midnight on Sunday, Feb. 28.

You can watch the mast fall in the user submitted video above and see the footage provided by Oak Island Water Rescue below.

Responding boats included a USCG Boat, a TowBoat US, and a SFD Boat 390. The United States Coast Guard Station in Oak Island, several fire departments and Brunswick County EMS coordinated to properly respond to the fire.

Oak Island Water Rescue crews also responded with a boat and a drone to get a good handle on the boat’s status and possible risks.

“We were able to assist them with our drone so they could get a better picture of how far the boat was from the surrounding marshes. We were worried about the marsh catching on fire and then we have another incident, so luckily we were able to provide the right footage for them from the drone,” said Oak Island Water Rescue Chief Peter Grendze.

Fires this big on the water are something the agencies don’t get all that often.

The 40-45 foot sailboat was completely consumed by flames. According to a Town of Oak Island media release, the fire was controlled after about two hours.

A person who may have been the boat’s owner was treated for smoke inhalation by Brunswick County EMS after attempting to stop the fire, and pushing the boat away from the other boats and the marina’s fuel docks. No other injuries have been reported.

The sailboat’s wreckage sunk Sunday night and remains in the intracoastal waterway.

Officials are expected to survey the damage Tuesday and determine a plan to remove the remaining debris from the waterway.

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