Marina Blaze Boosts Calls for a Fireboat: Cornelius Mayor to Seek County Funding Again
By Erica Beshears and Lena Warmack, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.
Jan. 10–CORNELIUS — A boat caught fire at a Lake Norman marina Tuesday and the blaze spread to seven other boats, highlighting the need for a large fire and rescue boat that can attack from the water, officials said.
Investigators don’t know yet what caused the blaze. No one was injured.
“I kept being grateful that no one was hurt,” said Margi Kyle, as she surveyed the spot where her 32-foot Trojan power boat sank below the water. “This can be replaced, but lives can’t be.”
The fire at Kings Point Marina is the second in two years. It’s one of Lake Norman’s largest marinas, with about 400 boat slips in the water and more in dry storage.
The fire was reported to Cornelius-Lemley Fire & Rescue about 5:50 a.m. Within four minutes, firefighters arrived on the scene, said Kevin Fox, Cornelius-Lemley assistant fire chief. The Gilead Fire & Rescue fireboat arrived in about 10 minutes, and firefighters contained the blaze shortly after, authorities said.
The 22-foot Boston Whaler fireboat owned by the nearby Gilead Fire & Rescue is credited with helping contain the marina fire to eight boats. Even so, the fire showed why the lake needs a bigger boat with an enclosed cabin and a more powerful pump, said Cornelius Mayor Gary Knox, who has lobbied for such a boat in the past year.
Fire spreads easily on marina docks because the fiberglass boats are so close together.
“This is one of those things you dread happening,” Knox said.
Knox and Cornelius-Lemley Fire & Rescue want to purchase a $300,000 boat that could pump 2,000 gallons of water a minute and respond to fires across the lake. The Cornelius-Lemley department would like to keep their boat on the water at all times.
Gilead hauls its boat on a trailer because it responds to Mountain Island Lake as well.
The proposed fireboat would have an enclosed cabin to protect firefighters and boat-accident victims from the elements. In addition to fires, authorities say such a boat would respond to multi-victim accidents or incidents on the lake’s growing number of charter boats.
The boat would help in areas around the lake where hydrants have weak water pressure, such as Governor’s Island, where a Christmas Day house fire caused more than $3 million in damage.
“The water supply was limited,” said Jay Flynn, Denver Volunteer Fire Department chief. “A fireboat is something I think would be a plus on Lake Norman.”
The town of Cornelius and the fire department say they can’t afford to buy such a boat, but could pay to operate it. The department is taking donations, and Knox said he will ask Mecklenburg County for money again. “I’ll be back at it again pleading my case shortly,” he said.
Later Tuesday morning, two boats were submerged in the water. The other damaged boats had charred paneling and melted fiber glass. Mecklenburg water-quality workers were on scene to make sure the gasoline in the water was removed.
Kyle went to see the damage after hearing from the marina. “I lost my good friend,” she said of the 20-year-old boat, which she has owned for about a year.
The sunken boats were pulled from the water Tuesday afternoon.
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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