A boat sustained $10,000 in damage after an electrical issue in Abingdon Monday morning, according to the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal.
Officials said someone aboard a neighboring boat at Otter Point Yacht Club in the 600 block of Otter Point Road heard a smoke alarm, then saw smoke coming from the cabin of the 35-foot long range cruiser.
He called 911 before 11:30 a.m., according to the fire marshal, who said about eight firefighters from the Abingdon Fire Company snuffed out the blaze in 10 minutes.
Investigators determined the fire began in the cabin console and was deemed accidental, caused by an unspecified electrical event. The owner was not aboard when the fire began, authorities said.
The Coast Guard only requires smoke alarms in the sleeping compartments of small inspected vessels that carry paying passengers, but there is no such requirement for recreational boats.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal recommends that all boat owners install smoke alarms in each sleeping area and outside each sleeping area or level of the boat, just as required in our homes," Senior Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire said in a statement to Patch.
"For example, this boat's sleeping area was below deck, and the fire originated within the cabin's electronic console," Alkire said. "His only exit would have been blocked if he had been below deck."
Had the owner been asleep without a smoke alarm on the boat, "we could have had a very different and unfortunate outcome," Alkire said. "This simple device can save lives, and just as in this case, protect neighboring boats, docks, or structures if the boat is kept at a moorage. A smoke alarm is the cheapest insurance you can buy for your on-the-water home or pleasure craft."

Dark smoke could be seen billowing into the sky from the Bahia Mar Marina on Sunday morning.
According to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, a 28-foot cabin cruiser had just completed fueling at the marina when flames erupted. Fire rescue was called to the blaze at 801 Seabreeze Boulevard around 10:43 a.m.
Two people and two dogs were on board, but fire rescue said no one was injured.
Investigators are looking into what caused the fire.

​Firefighters called to extinguish a boat fire in Brooklyn were shocked to find a dead man onboard, officials said.
The episode unfolded at 6:15 a.m. Saturday when cops and firefighters responded to a 911 call regarding a boat blaze at Pier 5 Marina in Brooklyn Bridge park, the NYPD said.
Upon arrival, firefighters doused the flames on the 52-foot Jefferson Recreational boat, but upon closer look an 86-year-old man was found “unconscious and not responsive” in the hull, police said.
The man was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital.
The investigation is ongoing, and the city medical examiner will determine the cause of death, said police, who withheld the man’s identity pending family notification.

KEY WEST, Fla. – Eight people were reported unconscious on their boat near Garrison Bight Marina Sunday.
Their exhaust fan released so much carbon monoxide that the boaters were impaired, according to the Coast Guard.
A Key West Fire boat crew transferred the passengers to safety on shore for further medical assistance.
The Coast Guard wants to remind people to use caution while boating in cooler water temperatures.
“January is the coldest month in Florida where temperatures can range widely from day and night. Boaters know Jacksonville can get cool but not everyone thinks Key West can as well,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Evans Ahrens.
“People should be cautious when using generators or heating elements that they may only rarely use, particularly for those that live aboard their vessel.”
The Coast Guard recommends these safety tips:

• Check the water temperature and the weather before you head out.
• Leave a float plan with a friend or family member who is back on land.
• Keep a marine radio on board. Cell phones can be unreliable on the water.
• Have an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) to send out a distress signal.
• Wear a life jacket.
• Never boat under the influence.

A 30-foot sailboat caught fire in San Diego Bay on Sunday, police said.
No one was aboard the boat, which had run aground on the south side of Harbor Island Drive, not far from the upscale Coasterra Mexican restaurant.
The fire was reported about 6:10 p.m.
The boat was engulfed in flames when Harbor police officers, who are cross trained as marine firefighters, arrived on a vessel equipped with firefighting gear, Sgt. Scott Ferraioli said.
Harbor police crews and San Diego Fire-Rescue firefighters put out the fire in about 15 minutes, Ferraioli said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.

According to the Annapolis Fire Department, early this morning at 1:11 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to the 700 block of Second Avenue for a reported boat fire.
On arrival, crews found an approximate 25ft sailboat completely engulfed in flames.
Firefighters were able to put a quick knock on the fire but it took firefighters over an hour to place the fire completely under control due to the challenges of the sailboat on the water.
No injuries to firefighters or civilians were reported.

The bow of a boat poking above the water’s surface was all that was left after an early morning boat fire at Anchor Marina on Bethel Island, Monday, Dec. 21.
One man — thought to have been on the boat when the blaze started — was hospitalized. He was treated for a minor case of smoke inhalation according to East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) Fire Marshal Steve Aubert.
An undetermined number of people reportedly living on boats in the marina were reportedly displaced as a result of the incident.
Improper use of a space heater appeared to be the cause of the fire, said Aubert.
ECCFPD Battalion Chief Craig Auzenne was first on scene after the fire was reported at 6:10 a.m. on the 1900 block of Taylor Road. He found a boat burning between the levee and a floating dock. Fire destroyed the gangway leading to the levee top and trapped an unknown number of people on the dock.
“Had the fire extended to the dock, we could have had a very bad situation,” Auzenne said.
The fire was contained to the boat and those trapped were evacuated from the dock by private citizens in their own boats.
A number of complications hampered the response to the incident including thick fog that slowed the responding units and limited access to the incident on a narrow, unpaved levee top road. Additionally, an outage at the Contra Costa County Regional Fire Communications Center resulted in the incident being dispatched by phone.The Red Cross was called to the location to assist as many as 15 people with temporary housing, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife responded due to gasoline and oil released into the waters of Taylor Slough. Additionally, Aubert said Contra Costa County Code Enforcement officials were called to the area for possible code violations.

A sailboat caught fire Sunday morning while sitting at a dock on a river, right behind the swimming point area near Portsmouth.
Portsmouth Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services were called on Sunday, Dec. 20 around 5:58 a.m. about a sailboat fire on the Elizabeth River. Officials said this happened off Hospital Point near Naval Medical Center Portsmouth.
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FEATURED BYUnited States Coast Guard and Virginia Marine Police also responded to the incident.
When Portsmouth fire crews got to the dock they found the sailboat fully engulfed in flames and called Norfolk Fire-Rescue to assist right away.
PFRES Cheif Julian Williamson said crews were able to access the sailboat by going to the dock behind the neighbor's house where the boat was anchored.
There was only one man on the boat when the fire broke out, and he was able to be assisted off the sailboat by another individual and safely back to shore.
Officials said the owner of the boat was left with minor injuries and refused to go to the hospital.
The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.

Two grandparents, two small children and their two dogs were rescued after they were forced to jump off a burning boat in Oregon.
“I was fairly terrified once I heard there were four people who had jumped off the vessel, because at that point we don’t know if we’re going to be doing rescues or recoveries,” Sgt. Stephen Dangler said.
Dangler was on duty Tuesday afternoon when the sheriff’s office’s marine unit got the call.
“We knew the condition was getting more and more serious,” Dangler said.
He said it took his crew 30 minutes to get to the family, since they were several miles away on the Columbia River.
By the time they got close, patrol deputies on foot could hear the family yelling for help but couldn’t pinpoint their exact location due to a sheer cliff covered in brush.
Meanwhile, the family clung to a muddy knoll and couldn’t get out of the water.
“This is a cliff ledge that went right up to the water level. So right where they were lying was about a foot of water,” Dangler said. “He was laying sideways in it; they were trying to keep the children up.”
So deputies steered the boat along the cliff. Dangler says it was easy to get the 8-year-old and 9-year-old, as well as the grandmother and a puppy, aboard the rescue boat. However, the grandfather and an elderly dog were struggling with hypothermia and couldn’t move.
Dangler couldn’t get them out by himself, so the rescue boat returned to shore to get more help and Dangler jumped in the water.
“I was kind of kneeling over the two of them. I was holding the one gentleman in my left arm and the dog in my right arm. And we were just trying to keep morale up, keep spirits up,” he said.
For several minutes, they waited in freezing water.
“I was able to verbally communicate with him for the first five to eight minutes, but then it began to slowly set in where he was not able to communicate as well,” Dangler said.
When the rescue boat returned, Dangler and another deputy pulled the grandfather and the remaining dog aboard.
After staying overnight in the hospital, the family is home and doing well.
Deputies say the two children and the grandmother were wearing life jackets and the grandfather was found clinging to a flotation device.
“Having life jackets available and accessible saved their lives,” Dangler said.
Deputies said at this point, they don’t know why the boat caught fire.