CBS4 News Takes Center Stage
Aug 12, 2009 11:45 pm US/Eastern
Fisher Island Yacht Fire Is Brought Under Control
Fisher Island Security Refuses Media On The Island
The Fire Started At About 6 p.m. And Was Brought Under Control By 10 p.m.
FISHER ISLAND (CBS4) ―
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Smoke drifts over Fisher Island as a helicopter watches overhead
Lt. Eddy Ballester/Miami-Dade Fire Rescue
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Firefighters use foam to help control the fire
Lt. Eddy Ballester/Miami-Dade Fire Rescue
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Back-up Miami Fire Rescue crews waited to get on the ferry that takes you to Fisher Island to help battle the boat fire.
Justin McCray/CBS
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Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews boarded the Fisher Island ferry to help battle the boat fire off of the island.
Natalia Zea/CBS
The Miami-Dade Fire and City of Miami Fire Rescue departments worked a boat fire off of the exclusive Fisher Island Wednesday night that was so big they had to send crews by air, sea and land.
Dozens of firefighters came by air, by sea, and by ferry, and spent hours trying to put out the big flames engulfing the 88-foot yacht. Even the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue helicopter was used to pick up crews and transport them to the boat fire scene, while other crews stood by at the ferry terminal to arrive as back-up on the island. More than 50 fire rescue crews were working the fire that started at about 6 p.m.
Crews from Miami-Dade Fire, Miami Fire, and Sea-Tow all helped bring it under control.
CBS4 News Reporter Natalia Zea found out that at one point the ship was in danger of sinking.
"There was a hole they had cut in the back of the boat, and the boat started taking on water so what we were doing was pumping the water out as it was coming in from the bay and from the firefighters," said Brian Hawthorne of Sea-Tow. "At one point it got a little hairy there, we didn't know if it was going to sink or stay afloat, but it ended up staying afloat."
The flames originally broke out in the engine room of the yacht. By 10 p.m. crews brought the fire under control but were still working the fire.
CBS4 News has not gotten reports of any injuries, but the owner and his two sons are on the scene.
Because Fisher Island can only be accessed by air or by boat, firefighters were brought in by helicopter and they used the fire boat.
Despite all the extra crews used, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials say they responded to the fire within seconds; they keep a fire truck stationed on Fisher Island to be prepared for situations such as this one.
CBS4's Natalia Zea and Daniel Lastra contributed to this report
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