OAK ISLAND — Multiple agencies came to the aid of Oak Island Fire Department (OIFD) on Sunday evening as a sailboat was engulfed in flames near Safe Harbour Marina.
According to a release from the Town of Oak Island, OIFD arrived within 5 minutes of the dispatch to South Harbour Village (4909 Fish Factory Rd.). A 40-to-45-foot sailboat was “completely consumed by fire” in the water but was controlled within two hours, the town said — by 1:53 a.m. Monday morning.
The boat was near the fuel dock, but it’s unclear if the fire started during refuel. According to the town, the boat floated away from the dock while on fire, eventually resulting in a mast collapse.
Sea Tow, a marine towing and salvage company in Shallotte, posted videos on its social media, noting the boat burned in the Intracoastal Waterway.
The town explained in the release that a bystander — “possibly the boat owner” — unsuccessfully attempted to extinguish the flames and had to be transported by Brunswick County EMS for smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported and the person’s condition is unknown currently.
Emergency response required help from both land and sea, including the US Coast Guard Station Oak Island, Oak Island Water Rescue, the Southport Fire Department, St. James Fire Department, Sunny Point Fire-Rescue, Brunswick County EMS, and the Oak Island Police Department.
There is no word yet on what started the fire.
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