Flames devastated several boats at a Newburyport yacht yard on Saturday after a pickup truck engulfed in fire, in an incident that could have spelled a far greater disaster. The conflagration, reported at approximately 10:30 a.m. according to CBS Boston, originated from a generator inside the pickup truck at Windward Yacht Yard as the vehicle owner tended to his boat transmission.
The blaze rapidly spread, inflicting significant damage to an armada of nearby watercraft, including the truck owner's sport fishing boat and an adjacent vessel. Working on his boat, an errant spark could've unleashed a far worse scenario, given a different day's gust. "If it was a windy day, it could've been a lot worse. So we're thankful there was no wind; we had enough manpower. Thankful for the surrounding towns who got here and established a water supply with us, under difficult conditions and a tight space, and lee it to the limited damage it is," Newburyport Fire Chief Stephen Bradbury said in a statement obtained by CBS Boston.
The urgent response by local firefighters prevented further destruction. Alongside Newburyport's bravest, mutual aid was rendered by the Amesbury, Newbury, Rowley, Salisbury, and West Newbury Fire Departments. Station coverage was generously provided by Georgetown, Merrimac, and Seabrook, NH Fire Departments as per a report from Boston 25 News. Officials reported the pickup truck as a total loss and noted a 38-foot catamaran also endured heat damage from the inferno.
Fortunately amidst the flames, they reported no physical injuries to persons. The cause of the blaze that caught fire while the owner was working on his boat is, as of now, under official investigation by the Newburyport Fire Department and the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal’s Office, according to reports by NBC Boston. Gone in the bed of his pickup, the generator's malfunction serves as a grim reminder of how swiftly fire can ravage and the narrow margins between a mishap and a catastrophe.
