30-foot boat catches fire along North River Drive in Miami

Cause of fire unclear at this time

MIAMI – City of Miami firefighters extinguished a boat fire that occurred early Wednesday morning.

According to fire rescue officials, the 30-foot boat erupted in flames just before 3:30 a.m. behind the Miami River Apartments at 2216 N. River Drive.

Residents in the area said it sounded like an explosion went off outside their homes.

“When I got up, I saw obviously the boat was engulfed in flames – very intense fire. You could feel the heat way out here,” Jose Pineda said.

The boat was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.

Lt. Pete Sanchez said they immediately “extended hose lines and began foam operations to extinguish the blaze.”

He said the fire was under control within 10 minutes and the flames were contained to the boat and did not spread to any other boats.

No one was on board at the time.

Neighbors say the owner rents the slip.

“It’s sad. I’m a boater myself,” Pineda said. “It hurts to see that. I know he’s been putting a lot of work and effort into the boat. He was remodeling the boat.”

The Miami Fire Investigation Unit will determine the origin and cause of the fire.

(City of Miami Fire Rescue)

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Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

Annaliese Garcia joined Local 10 News in January 2020. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism. She began her career at Univision. Before arriving at Local 10, she was with NBC2 (WBBH-TV) covering Southwest Florida. She's glad to be back in Miami!