3 Vessels Damaged In Large Fire At Arrowhead Yacht Club

A fire destroyed three boats docked at a marina on Grand Lake. First responders say quick thinking by employees prevented more boats from catching fire.

Investigators think the fire started on one of the boats and spread to the other two.

People living around the marina say they woke up to the sound of sirens and the smell of smoke.

A video posted to a Facebook group shows how intense the flames and smoke were as the three boats burned.

Wendy McKain lives next door to the marina and saw the fire from her backyard.

“I usually watch the pelicans, the eagles and ducks,” she said.

That view was different this time as firefighters put out the flames on the shore by her house.

McKain says the smoke was so heavy that she first thought it was her house on fire.

“It’s electrical,” she said. “I can smell burning wire something, then I go running into the electrical room, and I don’t see smoke there, but I could see smoke somewhere.”

Firefighters say marina employees spotted the fire when it started and disconnected the three boats from the rest of the dock. Those quick actions likely prevented more fires.

“We’re very fortunate that the Arrowhead service guys here saw this,” Justin Alberty with the Grand River Dam Authority said. “They were able to get the boats away from the dock, which probably prevented more damage to more boats.”

Four fire departments, including Monkey Island and Ketchum, brought boats to help put the fire out.

While the temperature was cold, the GRDA says the first responders didn’t have to worry about frozen water conditions.

“Something like this occurs, you’re prepared all hours of the day, all kinds of weather,” Alberty said. “You’re prepared to go and take care of the situation. That’s what these guys were able to do.”

Investigators are looking into the fire’s cause.