NEWBURYPORT — Chief Stephen Bradbury III reports that the Newburyport Fire Department responded to a boat fire on Saturday morning.
On Saturday, March 16, at approximately 10:45 a.m., Newburyport Police and Fire received reports of a boat fire in front of Windward Yacht Yard, 58 Merrimac St.
Upon arrival, responders discovered that a boat owner reported that he had been working on his boat’s transmission when the generator in the bed of his Ford F-250 pickup truck caught on fire, which quickly spread to nearby boats.
The pickup truck was a total loss, and significant damage was caused to the owner’s 32-foot sport fishing boat and an adjacent 32-foot boat. A 38-foot catamaran that was nearby sustained heat damage.
There were no injuries reported.
The Amesbury, Newbury, Rowley, Salisbury, and West Newbury Fire Departments provided mutual aid at the scene. Station coverage was provided by the Georgetown, Merrimac, and Seabrook, NH, Fire Departments.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Newburyport Fire Department and the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal’s Office.
