Fire crews in Orange Beach spent part of Monday’s early morning hours battling flames that consumed two boats docked at Bear Point Marina on the city’s east end.
Orange Beach Fire and Rescue responded to a report of a boat fire at the marina, located on Bay La Launch Avenue, around 12:30 a.m. on June 30. When crews arrived, they found a 35-foot vessel fully engulfed in flames alongside a 48-foot boat that was already showing heavy fire.
Fire Contained, No Injuries
Firefighters worked to keep the blaze from spreading beyond the two boats already burning, though a third vessel docked in a neighboring slip sustained some radiant heat damage. Fire officials said crews laid down absorbent boom material around the marina slips afterward as a precaution against any fuel that may have leaked from the damaged boats into the surrounding water.
Both of the destroyed vessels were described as live-aboard boats, meaning they are regularly used as residences by their owners. Despite that, nobody was on board either boat when the fire broke out, and no injuries were reported among residents, boaters or responding firefighters.
Crews remained on scene for several hours overnight, and the marina was cleared by around 4:30 a.m. once the fire had been fully extinguished and the area deemed safe. The exact cause of the fire had not been determined as of Monday, and it remained under investigation by fire officials.
Marina fires are a recurring hazard along the Alabama Gulf Coast, where fuel lines, electrical systems and close quarters between docked vessels can allow a single fire to spread quickly to neighboring boats. Bear Point Marina sits along the Intracoastal Waterway in Orange Beach, an area with a heavy concentration of recreational and live-aboard vessels, particularly during the summer boating season. No further updates on the cause or damage estimate were available at the time.