Over 100 firefighters respond to massive fire at boatyard in Massachusetts
By Claudia Dominguez and Sharif Paget, CNN
A massive boatyard in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts on Friday filled the skies above Buzzard’s Bay with black smoke and damaged dozens of boats and cars as well as several structures, CNN affiliate WCVB reported.
“We had a tremendous amount of fire in the main building and surrounding buildings,” Mattapoisett Fire Chief Andrew Murray said in a news conference held near the boatyard.
At least four people were injured in the fire, including three firefighters, according to Murray. Over 100 firefighters responded to the blaze. Fireboats were called in as well, pumping ocean water, he added.
Murray said that the winds played a factor in the fire. “The winds definitely pushed the fire,” Murray said. In total, five buildings were affected by the fire, Murray added.
Residents close to the marina heard explosions around 1:30 p.m., according to WCVB.
Torrey Gibb told CNN he was working construction at a nearby house when he heard a loud explosion. He walked over to where he saw a plume of black smoke and discovered flames ripping through the boatyard.
Videos taken by Gibb of the boatyard show the fire engulfing boats, torching cars and burning structures. He said he saw at least 15 to 20 cars on fire.
Gibb said the flames grew exponentially within 10 minutes. Shortly after that emergency personnel arrived, he said. Another video, taken by Gibb from a distance, shows a house on fire with heavy black smoke spewing into the air. Gibb said he could still feel the heat of the fire from around 300 feet away.
Rosa Giberti saw the fire from 2,000 feet in the air. Her father was giving her flight lessons when they spotted the smoke.
Videos taken by her show multiple boats and structures on fire. She said within 15 minutes the entire yard went up in flames. The plume of smoke was so thick that it cast a shadow across the coast, her videos show.
The National Weather Service for Boston detected the smoke plume on its radar, it said in a tweet.
The incident is under investigation.
The-CNN-Wire
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