A boat fire in Carrabelle on 31 January 2014

[janice142]

Last night was a bit interesting and not in a good way either, at least for the steel shrimp boat Crystal Starr. Fortunately another trawler answered the VHF when I called. Sanderling replied, but what I didn't know at the time was that the TowBoatUS owner heard the call too. But the heroine of the tale was Kim. She works at C-Quarters Marina here in Carrabelle and alerted 9-1-1 so that a disaster could be averted.

Life's good on the river.

There's pictures on this page: Janice142 Article Boat on Fire!

 

[angus99]

I saw a boat burn nearly to the waterline once in front of a crowd on the Tennessee River. Unforgettable sight. It's good for the owners that you and others were alert and called it in.

 

[Off Duty]

Great looking out Janice!

 

[janice142]

I saw a boat burn nearly to the waterline once in front of a crowd on the Tennessee River. Unforgettable sight. It's good for the owners that you and others were alert and called it in.

When I was a kidlet I'd just come into the dinghy dock (lower and opposite the fuel dock) when a boat blew just opposite me. Those were my first broken ribs. The force picked me up and slammed me down on the dock. I didn't hear a thing. My folks took sheets and wrapped my ribs for a while and I remember they wrapped 'em too tight. I got better so maybe not.

It's odd though, what the mind remembers. For years I thought it was a 55'er but after mother passed I found a newspaper clipping. The boat was just 32' and yes, she burned to the waterline. No one died though the man was burned badly and his wife not-so-much.

It was a good thing that folks had on the VHF. The TowBoatUS guy Russell heard my broadcast and headed right for the shrimp boat. His worker has a boat at the next dock! He was first "on scene" though I'm not certain if his call or Kim's got to 9-1-1 first.

Those two are the heroes. They knew how to get help and where to direct it. Still, if the boat in question had been anything but steel the outcome would most likely have been very different.

 

[Steve]

Good Call! did they say what caused the fire!

 

[janice142]

Good Call! did they say what caused the fire!

Idiots set a fire inside the barrel to stay warm. It went out of control. When I first saw the flames they were shooting up about 3'. I thought it was from the cargo hold on the shrimper because there were no lights showing inside the pilothouse windows or in the living part of the boat. Only aft...

This was deliberately done though. In a couple days (when the fog goes away) I'll go over in Algae (the dinghy) and get pictures. From my binoculars it appears that the back and port side of the cabin were blackened.

It's a good thing Russell and Kim were so quick about getting help to the location. The boat Crystal Starr rafted too is wooden, as is the long dock that runs parallel to the shoreline. It could have been horrible.