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Hampton Fire, hazmat team respond to boat fire

Posted at 4:52 AM, Aug 27, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-27 04:52:58-04

HAMPTON, Va. - The Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue responded to a boat fire at the Bluewater Yacht Yards in Hampton Monday morning.

Dispatchers received a call for a boat fire at 3:38 a.m. and were able to knock the fire down at 4:12 a.m. According to a tweet by the Hampton Fire Department, hazmat was called to the scene due to approximately 300 gallons of fuel leaking into the water.

“We were sleeping and all of a sudden there was this 'boom'," said Bill Knowles, who lives on a boat along the same dock.

At approximately 6:55 a.m., the fire kicked back up, according to reports from the scene, but was quickly extinguished.

Firefighters say fumes from the spilled fuel had come in contact with an ember on the dock.

The 40-foot-long boat is reported to be a total loss.

No other boats were involved, and no injuries were reported. The pier suffered only minor damage.

“This is a first for us and marina fires are fairly rare. When they do happen, they’re usually catastrophic so we really dodged a bullet here," said Earle Hall, Co-owner of the marina.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.