An early morning fire Friday, December 9 destroyed about a dozen boats at Richmond Yacht Basin on the James River. Henrico Fire Department officials estimate that 12 to 15 boats were destroyed, along with part of a boat storage structure. Five or six boats had sunk that morning while others floated downriver on fire. Thankfully no injuries were reported.
According to CBS 6, Dave Hughes was on his boat at the time when he was awakened by a popping noise. He soon realized that the boat he lived on was ablaze and knocked on his neighbors boat Dave Napier, yelling "Fire!" to alert others of the danger. The flames prevented Napier from getting back to land but he was able to get Hughes onto his boat and the two escaped the blaze by water. Other boats were not so lucky. Officers and crews were working to get to more than 30 boats and multiple sheds that were all on fire.
The Henrico County fire boat was trapped by the burning dock and suffered significant damage, otherwise it would have been used to help fight the flames. Crews are currently working to clean up debris and comb through each boat to try and determine what started the fire. Booms have been put in place to secure any diesel fuel that seeps into the water.
Henrico county fire confirms no one was hurt in massive fire at Richmond Yacht Basin. pic.twitter.com/p3524OCys6
— Roxie Bustamante (@Roxie8News) December 9, 2016
