Florida marina fire destroys 2 luxury yachts worth $24 million
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Florida fire officials were investigating after a weekend fire at a marina in Fort Lauderdale destroyed two luxury yachts worth a combined $24 million.
The fire was reported Saturday at 4:30 a.m. on Fort Lauderdale’s Marina Mile, according to reports.
“When I stepped outside, I saw this blazing fire, maybe 12 stories high,” Arlene Meyer told Fox 7 Miami. Meyer said the fire woke her up.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two luxury yachts worth $24 million were destroyed in a fire at Fort Lauderdale marina early Saturday. (Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue)
“It was very eerie. You could see the flames, and it was very quiet,” she said. “You could see the reflection of the fire in the water.”
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The Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue released video of the massive fire that 60 firefighters and three fireboats battled for five hours. Wind spread the fire to one yacht to another, local media reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“At this time, the fire is under investigation, however it is believed to have started on the 160-foot yacht and then spread to the neighboring 100-foot yacht,” the department said on Facebook.
One woman said the flames from the yacht fire reached 12-stories in the air. (Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue)
Fort Lauderdale Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan called the destruction of the yachts “the biggest fire loss in Fort Lauderdale history,” the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
The paper said no one was aboard the two yachts at the time of the fire.
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The larger yacht was named Lohengrin and was built in 2006, according to reports. The smaller yacht was named Reflections and was built 22 years ago.
Sixty firefighters and three fireboats battled the yacht blaze for five hours, officials said. (Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue)
Gollan said Lohengrin was worth $12 to $16 million; Reflections was worth $8 million.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The yachts were next to each other at the marina for repainting, according to the paper.
Aftermath of fire that destroyed two yachts worth $24 million in Fort Lauderdale Saturday. (Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue)
Reflections owner Chip McElroy, of Tulsa, Okla., told the paper the yacht was named Reflections “for all the blessings in our lives.”
“We were a week away from being out of here,” he said.
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Lohengrin's owner purchased the yacht in January, the paper reported.