Environmental Strategist, between the lines:
I often talk on the three benefits environmental insurance offers insureds besides what most people think of, first party cleanup.
3 benefits of environmental insurance:
- Defense Coverage
- Specialists to assist you in handling a claim
- Coverage for third party Bodily injury, third party property damage, Third party business interruption.
You can read the story below and view videos on how a simple boat fire impacts all three of the benefits offered by environmental insurance. I would also like to point out that over the years when I have strategized on marine fires the quick response back I most often hear from the environmentally uninformed is a boat will burn and sink, besides fuel you won’t have any other liabilities. Read On!
La Conner marina fire: sunken boats and ‘broken hearts’
A fire destroyed seven boats and damaged at least eight more, totaling an estimated $1 million in damage at Shelter Bay Marina near La Conner in Skagit County on Friday afternoon.
The fire started at about 4 p.m. on one boat at the residential marina and quickly spread to adjacent boats, according to Shelter Bay community manager David Franklin.
One dock was engulfed in flames, which allowed one burning boat to float to another dock and further spread the fire, he said.
Firefighters were able to contain the damage on the adjacent dock, but they weren’t able to fully knock down the fire until shortly after 6 p.m., Franklin said.
“There were no injuries,” he said, “just a lot of broken hearts for those boats that were lost.”
Dylan Furst, of Bellingham, said he saw the cloud of black smoke from about two miles away while he was driving to Bellingham from Deception Pass. He could smell the smoke from more than 400 yards away, he said.
Furst said firefighters had trouble aiming directly at the flames because the boats kept drifting.
“It was just one big fire of boats,” Furst said. “They weren’t separated at all.”
Firefighters from multiple agencies responded, including the Swinomish Reservation, Skagit County, La Conner and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Some residents tried to move unaffected boats away from the flames as firefighters battled the blaze with water and foam, the Swinomish Yacht Club reported via Twitter.
“With boat fires, with the water, fiberglass, fuel and the intensity of the flame, it’s very difficult to put out,” La Conner Fire Chief Dan Taylor said.
The 15 boats that burned are 40- to 50-foot pleasure craft kept at the 325-slip marina in the private, gated community of Shelter Bay on the Swinomish Channel. Six of the seven boats that were destroyed sank, and the seventh was severely burned, Skagit County Fire District 13 Chief Roy Horn told the Skagit Valley Herald.
One resident told the newspaper that his $300,000 yacht, with 400 gallons of diesel fuel, burned and then sank.
“They were nice boats,” Franklin said. “Very nice boats.”
Franklin said officials will work to determine the cause and the full extent of the damage Saturday, as well as the possible environmental impacts, including the diesel fuel that leaked into the channel.
“We’ll see what the morning light brings,” Franklin said. “Hopefully, tomorrow, it won’t be as bad as we think.”
Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Paige Cornwell: 206-464-2530 or pcornwell@seattletimes.com
Update 2-26-14: LA CONNER —
Recovery operations of several sunken ships continue this week in Shelter Bay. Crews were able to remove two damaged vessels this weekend but have run into problems recovering the remaining five ships. Fire damage to the ships has complicated the salvage efforts.
Crews are also using placing booms and absorbent pads on the water to recover fuel after discovering skimmers to be ineffective. Damage is estimated at more than $1 million. The cause is still under investigation.
Update: All burned boats removed from La Conner marina
The Associated Press LA CONNER, Wash. —
All six boats that sank during the fire at the Shelter Bay Marina in La Conner have been pulled from the water.
Ecology Department spokeswoman Lisa Copeland also says 600 gallons of diesel were removed from a seventh vessel that was destroyed in Friday’s fire but did not sink.
The Skagit Valley Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1k9f0HC ) cleanup of an estimated 2,400 gallons of spilled oil and fuel may continue through Friday.
Copeland says there have been no reports of oiled birds or other impact to wildlife.
The property loss from the fire is estimated at more than $1 million.
These videos give a prime example of the public outcry that results when pollution incidents occur, and show another major reason why environmental liability coverage is such a valuable asset for businesses. Especially when local residents are potentially impacted and government regulators get involved –
Video of the fire scene and local residents reactions
Video of the aftermath
Video of Salvage operations
Video of the fire from third party spectators