Mega-Yacht Blaze Is 'Biggest Fire Loss' in Fla. City's History

2 superyachts in Fort Lauderdale were worth $23M
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 18, 2019 7:13 AM CST

It took 100 firefighters more than four hours Saturday morning to bring a smoke- and flame-spewing blaze under control at a Fort Lauderdale marina. By the time they'd put out the worst of it, the inferno had caused what the city's Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan now says is the "biggest fire loss in Fort Lauderdale history." Gollan tells the Sun Sentinel that the fire began on the 161-foot Lohengrin, with an estimated worth up to $16 million, then spread to the 107-foot Reflections, worth around $7 million. The boats, which have different owners, were temporarily housed at Universal Marine Center as they were being renovated and getting paint jobs.

The blaze was so intense that nearby residents were concerned it would reach their homes, but firefighters made sure that didn't happen, per WPLG. "I heard about three big explosions," one witness tells CNN of being woken up by the fire. Luckily, there were no crew members on either boat at the time the fire broke out. The big issue now is putting out any remaining smoldering, as well as keeping fuel from the yachts' gas tanks from ending up in the New River. Per the Miami Herald, work on both boats was nearing completion; they were both set to leave the marina over the next few weeks. An investigation is set to begin Monday. (More Fort Lauderdale stories.)

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