Racine sailboat fire, $815K boat damaged by flames, smoke
Sailboat fire in Racine marina
RACINE, Wis. - A 47-foot sailboat docked in Racine's Riverside Marina caught fire early Sunday, Nov. 5. The fire caused fire and smoke damage to the boat valued at $815,000.
The Racine Fire Department responded to the marina around 6:15 a.m. Sunday for a report of a fully-involved fire aboard a sailboat.
Firefighters found a 47-foot 2022 Dufour 470 sailboat with fire mostly extinguished in the cockpit. A news release says emergency crews boarded the vessel and forced entry to the below-deck area to extinguish active fire in the aft port-side berth.
Sailboat fire in Racine marina
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Racine officials said the fire extended to about half of the below-deck area and produced intense heat and smoke damage throughout the entire interior of the vessel. The fire was extinguished about 15 minutes into the incident.
Sailboat fire in Racine marina
The exact cause of the fire has yet to be determined. However, foul play is not suspected.
Nobody was hurt – and no other vessels or the dock were damaged by this fire.
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Actions by nearby boater
The news release says this fire was discovered by another boater at Riverside Marina who spent the overnight aboard his sailboat. They said Jon Brouilette noticed flames in the cockpit at the left wheel of the affected sailboat. He called 911 and applied handheld fire extinguishers to the fire in the cockpit area before he disconnected shore power electric lines to the vessel. Officials said Brouilette's actions kept the fire from growing and involving other nearby vessels in the water and those stored on-shore.