PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (WHDH) - A massive emergency response was called to a marina in Rhode Island on Friday after two large boats went up in flames.
Crews responding to a report of a blaze at Hinckley Yachts in Portsmouth found two boats engulfed in heavy flames.
The vessels, a power boat and a sailboat, had a combined value of $10 million, officials said.
Video from the scene showed a massive plume of black smoke billowing into the air as the fire raged and firefighters scrambled to stop the blaze from spreading.
“We did have water issues at first. We had some water and then we lost our water supply,” said Portsmouth Fire Chief Paul Ford. “We had to call Newport water and they came down and did some adjustment that greatly helped.”
Onlookers watched in disbelief as the blaze transformed the boats into a raging inferno.
“In all my 20 years, I’ve never seen a fire this big,” said marina employee Kate Moreira.
Chief Ford said the biggest concern was preventing the raging fire from spreading to a nearby storage building that housed several multi-million dollar yachts.
“That was our main concern because we want to save that building. There are at least three large boats [in there],” he said.
One firefighter was treated for burns at an area hospital, Ford said.
Fire crews will remain at the scene overnight.
No additional information was immediately available.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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