A fire at Mobile’s Scenic Basin Yacht Club in September 2009 destroyed two boats, damaged slips and triggered a response to contain diesel fuel and oil released into the basin.
Mobile Fire-Rescue dispatchers received the report at 1:12 a.m. Firefighters arrived to find two 45-foot boats and part of the surrounding boat slips on fire.
Boats sank after fire spread
The mooring lines on one vessel burned through, allowing it to drift across the basin. The movement scorched the bows of two other boats as crews worked to control the fire.
Both burning boats later sank. Investigators believed the fire began on a vessel named Katie’s Dream, though the cause remained under review when the initial report was released.
Damage and environmental response
The incident was estimated to have caused more than $1 million in damage. In addition to the boats, the fire burned the roof over at least six slips and damaged portions of the slip walkways.
Mobile Fire-Rescue’s hazardous-materials team and the U.S. Coast Guard Strike Team responded to address diesel fuel and oil leaking from the vessels. Their role was to help contain potential pollution in the basin after the boats sank.
The 2009 fire illustrated the combined property and environmental risks of a marina incident. It required firefighting, marine investigation and pollution-control work in one of Mobile’s waterfront boating areas.
This account records the initial information released by Mobile Fire-Rescue and responding agencies. It does not state a final cause of the fire or the ultimate scope of cleanup and repairs.