A significant fire this morning led to the sinking of several yachts at Port Forum in Barcelona. Just hours later, a second fire in the same area caused two more yachts to sink. According to multiple Spanish newspaper reports, that fire completely destroyed four yachts between 62 and 76 feet (19 and 23 meters).
Those yachts sank as a result. An additional yacht in the same size range suffered damage as a result of the flames, the papers also report. Fire officials subsequently removed that vessel from the docks. While firefighters successfully extinguished all flames, officials say yet another fire broke out around 5:30 p.m. That fire required two and a half hours to put out. Unfortunately, five further yachts suffered damage, with two of them sinking. Fire officials moved a further four yachts from their nearby docks as a precautionary measure.
None of the media reports mention significant injuries. However, two dozen people were treated for smoke inhalation during the morning fire, the papers state. The causes of both fires are under investigation. According to media reports, there’s already at least one theory: Diesel spilled from the morning fire caused the afternoon fire. Regardless of the ultimate cause, the papers also report that all fuel from the affected yachts, the remains of the sunken yachts, and the firefighting materials remain confined. Port Forum provides dockage for 201 yachts in two areas. The inner dock, with five jetties, accommodates the most boats. Yachts to 82 feet (25 meters) can tie up there. Meanwhile, the outer dock provides space for much bigger boats, a total of 31 measuring up to 262 feet (80 meters).
The two fires affected the docks for the smaller vessels. (Info from http://megayachtnews.com) State 21 Ltd will be presenting to the International Marina Managers Conference run by British Marine at the end of April 2017 on "Preparing for the unexpected" which we all hope will never happen to us. How well are you prepared, if the unexpected does happen?