NEWBURYPORT — A boat launch went horribly wrong when a boat was destroyed and a man treated on scene this morning (May 19) at the Cashman Park boat ramp.
“At approximately 8:30 a.m., the fire department received multiple 911 calls about a boat on fire at the launch ramp at Cashman Park on Sally Snyder Way,” Fire Chief Christopher LeClaire said in a statement.
A Seabrook man had backed his 25-foot fiberglass boat down the ramp to get on the water, LeClaire said.
The 1988 Hydra-Sports boat was attached to a U-Haul pickup truck and trailer, he added.
When the man “started the second engine, the area by the battery caught fire,” LeClaire said.
Using an extinguisher on board the boat, the man tried to put out the fire, “but, given its location, was unable to reach the flames,” the chief said.
“Upon arrival, firefighters were met with heavy smoke and flames which had engulfed the boat,” he added.
Newburyport’s Engine 1 and Engine 2 used three attack lines, one of which contained foam, to knock down the fire.
The Salisbury Fire Department also arrived on scene to assist with overhaul. Crews cleared the scene around 10 a.m.
The Seabrook man was evaluated and treated on scene by Atlantic Ambulance. No other injuries were reported.
The boat, which was insured, was completely destroyed and had to be towed from the scene, LeClaire said.
Neither the U-Haul and trailer sustained any damage, he added.
“Unfortunately, this man lost his boat today, but thankfully no one was seriously injured,” LeClaire said in the statement.
“The man did the right thing by backing off and calling for help once he realized the fire was beyond his control. A quick response and aggressive attack by our personnel contained this incident and kept the fire from spreading,” he said.
“At approximately 8:30 a.m., the fire department received multiple 911 calls about a boat on fire at the launch ramp at Cashman Park on Sally Snyder Way,” Fire Chief Christopher LeClaire said in a statement.
A Seabrook man had backed his 25-foot fiberglass boat down the ramp to get on the water, LeClaire said.
The 1988 Hydra-Sports boat was attached to a U-Haul pickup truck and trailer, he added.
When the man “started the second engine, the area by the battery caught fire,” LeClaire said.
Using an extinguisher on board the boat, the man tried to put out the fire, “but, given its location, was unable to reach the flames,” the chief said.
“Upon arrival, firefighters were met with heavy smoke and flames which had engulfed the boat,” he added.
Newburyport’s Engine 1 and Engine 2 used three attack lines, one of which contained foam, to knock down the fire.
The Salisbury Fire Department also arrived on scene to assist with overhaul. Crews cleared the scene around 10 a.m.
The Seabrook man was evaluated and treated on scene by Atlantic Ambulance. No other injuries were reported.
The boat, which was insured, was completely destroyed and had to be towed from the scene, LeClaire said.
Neither the U-Haul and trailer sustained any damage, he added.
“Unfortunately, this man lost his boat today, but thankfully no one was seriously injured,” LeClaire said in the statement.
“The man did the right thing by backing off and calling for help once he realized the fire was beyond his control. A quick response and aggressive attack by our personnel contained this incident and kept the fire from spreading,” he said.
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