The Coast Guard is investigating three docked fishing vessels that caught fire at a marina in Craig, Alaska, early Sunday morning.
The boats involved were the 57-foot Seaborn, the 56-foot Pacific Lady, and the 49-foot Julia Kae, the Coast Guard said in a statement. The fire was reported at approximately 3:30 a.m. and was contained thanks to efforts by the Craig harbormaster, Hans Hjort, and local volunteer firefighters.
Hjort told the Alaska Dispatch News that the boats — two of them steel-hulled seiners, and the third fiberglass — were tied together at the time of the fire. Coast Guard vessel records list the Julia Kae as a steel boat homeported in Seattle and owned and operated by S L Demmert Fisheries Inc. Hijort told the ADN that the Julia Kae had to be towed to another slip to allow responders better access to fight the flames.
According to the Coast Guard, the three boats had a combined maximum fuel capacity of 7,300 gallons, and containment boom was deployed to address "minimal" sheening.
The Coast Guard sent a team from Marine Safety Detachment Ketchikan to monitor for signs of pollution, investigate the cause of the incident, and assess the extent and cost of damage. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire was not immediately known.