Fire destroys boats at Grand Isle Marina

May 21--UPDATE 9 p.m. Sunday, May 21, 2017:

Three boats were destroyed and one severely damaged in an early morning fire Sunday at Grand Isle Marina.

Officials said a guard in a nearby security booth noticed fire on a boat and alerted the sleeping occupants, who were able to jump off the front of the boat.

People on an adjacent boat were also alerted and were able to evacuate without incident.

Nobody was injured in the fire that was reported about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, according Grand Haven Public Safety Director Jeff Hawke.

The first boat was fully involved in fire when firefighters arrived and strong winds out of the east caused the fire to spread quickly, igniting too other boats, Hawke said.

The fires were extinguished by about 2:30 a.m., he said.

The next boat, a 46.6-foot Bertram Sportfish, sustained extensive heat and water damage.

Owner Bob Brown of Williamston said he believed that boat would be considered a total loss.

Of the four boats damaged by fire, it was the only one still floating on Sunday.

"They did what they had to do to cool it down and keep it from lighting up and spreading to even more boats," Brown said.

He noted that his boat had been listed for sale for almost $80,000. If it didn't sell soon, he was planning to take it to Florida when he retired in three months, he said.

A crew from Tow Boat US, hired by the boat owner's insurance companies, worked throughout the day Sunday, setting booms to clean up contaminants before a diver could be put in the water to assess the boat hull.

A strong smell of oil hung in the air and was very noticeable on top of the U.S. 31 drawbridge.

Coast Guard environmental team members monitored operations to make sure clean up was properly handled and said they would continue to check the scene over the next days and even weeks.

One Coast Guard official said that the first diver went into the water at about 12:42 p.m. Another diver entered the water at 2:36 p.m. "and that's when they started attaching straps and floats," he said.

"They have been bringing the boat up slowly since then," he said around 6 p.m.

It's a delicate operation, and Coast Guard representatives yelled at passing boats to slow down, and took down information on boats that passed by with a wake.

Shortly after 7 p.m., the Tow Boat US crew moved a boom out of the way and started pulling the first boat to the east past the docks with the intention of moving it to a boat lift to get it out of the water.

One witness watching said that it appeared that the boat might have gone aground shortly after 8 p.m.

Local Tow Boat US operator Brian DeVries said they hoped to get one boat out of the water Sunday and at least one more, maybe both of the other boats out on Monday.

As of Sunday evening, police were not releasing the cause of the fire, saying it was still under investigation.

GHDPS Lt. Joe Boyle said once the boats were out of the water, they would take a closer look to make that determination.

A damage estimate was not available, but Grand Isle Yacht Club Vice President Ken Orr said all of the boats were over 40 feet long and probably were valued anywhere from $45,000 to more than $100,000 each.

Boyle said the destroyed boats were a Searay, Ocean and Azmut, all over 45 feet in length.

There was also extensive damage to the dock and pier areas.

Orr said the Grand Isle Yacht Club is a condominium association. Two of the burned boats were part of the Yacht Club. The other two boats were on marina property.

Orr said the condominium association had recently contracted for electrical updates on their docks.

He emphasized they hired a professional, licensed contractor.

"We don't skimp on things like that," he said.

UPDATE: 10 a.m. Sunday, May 21, 2107:

Police, Coast Guard and Tow Boat U.S.A. crews are on the scene of a boat fire that destroyed three boats and severely damaged one other boat and a dock early Sunday morning at Grand Isle Marina in Grand Haven.

Officials said people on two of the boats in the Grand Isle Yacht Club docks were able to safely evacuate. Nobody was on the third boat that also sunk after the fire.

It is unknown whether or not someone was on the boat that was damaged.

All of the boats were in slips built to accommodate 40-foot boats, according to Ken Orr, vice president of the yacht club.

All of the boats destroyed or damaged were at least in the 35-45-foot range and could have been valued anywhere from $40,000 to $100,000, depending on the age and condition of the boats prior to the fire, he said.

Orr said that the boat condominium association had recently contracted professional electrical upgrades on the docks.

The vice president said they used a professional, licensed contractor.

"We were very careful," he said. "We don't skimp on this stuff."

Police said this morning that it was unknown if the fire started on the boat or the dock. That remains under investigation by the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety.

A crew from Tow Boat U.S. is on the scene using booms and pads to soak up fuel and oil.

Orr said the plan was to remove as many contaminants from the water as possible, before a diver enters the water to determine the extent of the damage to the hulls of the boats.

Once that is done. A plan will be made for lifting the boats using inflatable rails, and moving them to a location where they can be pulled from the water.

Orr said that the boats and docks are insured.

Original story

Three boats were destroyed or damaged in an early morning fire Sunday at Grand Isle Marina.

Emergency crews responded to the scene at about 12:30 a.m.

Grand Haven Public Safety Director Jeff Hawke said that the fire started in a boat moored at a slip near the boater's lounge.

The boat was occupied at the time and the owners escaped without injury.

A steady wind out of the east caused the fire to spread quickly, igniting two other boats, Hawke said. All of the fires were extinguished by 2:20 a.m.

Marina staff placed a boom in the area to contain potential fuel leaks.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Assisting GHDPS at the scene were Grand Haven Township Fire Rescue, Spring Lake Township Fire Rescue, Ottawa County Sheriff and United States Coast Guard.

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