NEWBURYPORT — Fire Chief Stephen H. Bradbury III reports that Newburyport Fire Department extinguished a working fire on a 42-foot vessel at the Newburyport Yacht Club on Sunday night.
On Sunday, Aug. 20, at approximately 10:20 p.m., the Newburyport Fire Department received a 911 call reporting a boat on fire at the Newburyport Yacht Club, 300 Merrimack St.
Companies responded to discover a 42-foot Wesmac Trawler on fire. Another boat owner at the yacht club noticed the fire and called 911 before attempting to slow the spread of the fire using a fire extinguisher.
That individual’s efforts helped to slow the spread of the fire until firefighters arrived. Companies were then able to fully extinguish the rest of the fire in about 10 minutes, preventing what could have been a much larger fire. Damage was contained largely to the Wesmac Trawler’s pilot house.
There were no reported injuries. The cause of the fire was electrical in nature, and it remains under investigation by the Newburyport Fire Department.
“I want to commend the other boat owner who not only alerted our Department to this fire, but who also grabbed a fire extinguisher and helped to keep this blaze contained as our companies responded,” said Chief Bradbury. “This could have been a much worse fire if he hadn’t intervened.”
