Updated 6:45 pm
Workers demolishing a boat parked on dry land off Carrolls Way behind Carroll’s Trucking Thursday afternoon set off a smoky blaze that destroyed a boat parked nearby and damaged a truck.
Fire chief John Schilling said workers were using an excavator to break up a fiberglass boat he estimated at about 24-feet long, when a spark ignited gas still stored in the boat’s fuel tank.
The resulting fiberglass fire created thick, heavy, toxic smoke and was difficult to extinguish, Chief Schilling said. The fire spread to a nearby boat parked on a trailer.
“Both boats were totaled,” the chief said.
The fire also also damaged a parked tractor trailer truck loaded with lumber and railroad ties. Mr. Schilling said nearby metal storage containers also suffered exterior damage, but no damage to the contents.
Firefighters and medical personnel responded to the call. “There was a full department response,” Mr. Schilling said. There were no injuries.
One factor was the distance of the sole fire hydrant from the scene of the fire. “It took a little while to sort that out,” Chief Schilling said.
Firefighters also had to be certain none of the lumber on the truck was hiding any embers.
Chief Schilling said he is trying to learn the identity of the second boat owner to pass on the bad news.
