Home»BALTIMORE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT»INCIDENTS»2014 Fires and Incidents»1-Alarm Boat Fire-Inner Harbor East 5-17-14

Around 1:00PM on Saturday, May 17, 2014 a Captain from the Fire Investigation Bureau was in the area of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor when he spotted a large column of heavy black smoke in the area of Aliceanna and President Streets. He requested a tactical box to be struck out and upon further investigation he found a boat fully involved impinging on another boat, as well as the pier located in the Harbor East Marina at the foot of President Street.
Fortunately Fire Boat 1 and Fire Rescue Boat 1 were docked nearby collecting for the “Fill the Boot Campaign” and had a good jump on the fire. The fire was burning fiercely and was emitting thick black smoke due to the fuel, fiberglass, and styrene burning. As they were approaching the scene heavy fire and black smoke was showing and could be seen for miles throughout the city. As they neared the pier they opened up their forward monitor pipes to start knocking down the intense fire that now involved two boats. The land companies were now arriving and making their way on foot out to the walkways leading to the piers that were well over 100’ out in the water away from the street.
Shortly after arriving at the scene Battalion Chief 2 took command and requested the rest of the box to be filled out. As firefighters got out to the pier they were receiving information from civilians that there was an occupant trapped on one of the boats. The monitors from the fire boats were shut down when members from Engine 23 saw a face showing through the smoke pressed up against a window screen on the port side. While exposing themselves to toxic smoke and intense heat, they were able to give her a SCBA air mask face piece to help her breath as the fire raged ferociously above and around her. At the same time members of Truck 1 and Fire Boat 1 took hand lines and made their way onto the deck through the blinding smoke and intense heat, to reach the 68 year old woman that was trapped below deck. The crew of Rescue 1 was also cutting a large hole through the hull with power saws in an attempt to reach her.
Shortly thereafter a member of Truck 1 kicked the door into the room and located the occupant. With the assistance of the Lieutenant of Fire Boat 1 they removed her to safety. She was immediately treated and then transported to the John’s Hopkins Bayview Burn Center with second degree burns to her face and upper body along with smoke inhalation where she was listed in serious condition. Her husband had already escaped from the boat and suffered minor burns.
Firefighters continued to extinguish the stubborn fire which was finally brought under control in an hour. The U. S. Coast Guard, along with Fire Department HazMat crews, was dispatched to contain and clean up fuel that was spilled in the water as a result of the fire.
The fire is estimated to have caused $100,000 in damages and the cause of the fire is under investigation. It is thought to have been electrical in nature.
The members of the Baltimore City Fire Department responding to this incident acted with courage at great personal risk to themselves. Had it not been for the heroic efforts of the firefighters, there certainly would have been a more tragic outcome to this situation.